


Hands Clean

by Ashke (orphan_account)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Armin/Jean - Freeform, Eren is aged up to 17, Erwin/Hanji, I really suck at summaries tbh, M/M, Mikasa/Annie - Freeform, Romance, Satan is mentioned a lot actually, Slow Build, Smut Eventually, So fluffy it'll rot your teeth, a tidbit of angst, but it's mostly fluffy with some extra fluff on the side, i don't know why that is, nurse!Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-13
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-01 09:42:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 55,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Ashke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren's your typical high school student, despite his anger management problems. One day, he has to visit the nurse's office to only discover that the usual nurse has been replaced by a man with steel gray eyes and a mouth with no filter. Eren's interest is piqued.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Development

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've written in a looong time. *cough8yearscough* 
> 
> So I'm pretty rusty and I'm pretty insecure about my writing, so I'd appreciate any feedback. If anyone wants to beta, that would be awesome! 
> 
> Ah, I hope you guys like it. It's going to start off slow, sorry! I want to build up to the Romance part, so this fic will probably be several chapters long. I haven't really set a certain number, because I write on autopilot and if I set it to end at a certain chapter I'll feel rushed. 
> 
> On another note, sometimes I go back and reread what I've written and end up editing it. I'll let you know if I do this. It's a really bad habit that comes with being a perfectionist with my writing. 
> 
> Ehhhh, I should stop rambling. I hope you enjoy reading this!

“That. Fucking. Horse. Faced. Bastard.”

Eren muttered to himself as he made his way to the nurse’s office. He was trying his hardest to not leave a trail of blood by pressing tissues to his nose, but he was either bleeding too profusely or the damn tissues were too thin. He didn’t know nor care, because all he could focus on at that moment was how he was going to get Jean back after school. That asshole thought it would be such a great idea to hit on Eren’s sister, Mikasa, to see how he would react. Of course, Eren got pissed off and tried to start a fight. It didn’t go according to plan, though. When he tried to throw the first punch, Jean moved to the side making Eren misstep and fall into a desk face first. Hence, the boody nose and Eren’s trip to the school nurse.

“Fuck. This hurts.”

Eren knew the nurse pretty well. This was his third year in high school and certainly not his first trip to the school nurse because he couldn’t control his anger. Ms. Ral was really kind and sweet, though. She usually just chided Eren while patching him up before sending him on his way. This would be his first trip to her office since he became a junior, so Eren was looking forward to catching up with her.

He finally reached the door to the nurse’s office. The wooden door was closed, it’s gold brass plaque inscribed with “school nurse” to show that he arrived at the right place. Eren stopped in front of the door to catch his breath.

_Damn this school for being so big._

Eren knocked and waited to hear the usual “come in”, but was only met with silence. He frowned and tentatively opened the door before calling out.

_Maybe she didn’t hear me._

“Ms. Ral? It’s me, Eren.”

He opened the door further and peered in to only be confronted by a pair of steel gray eyes. Instead of the short, blonde woman that usually tended his wounds, a man that Eren has never seen before stood in her place.

“Oi, brat. Did I say you could come in?”

The man crushed his cigarette before flicking it outside the window that he is standing by. Eren frowned even more. Who was this guy? Why was he smoking on school grounds?

“U-uh, I was looking for Ms. Ral. I’m kinda bleeding all over the place.”

Eren gestured to his nose and the bloody tissues with his free hand. The man grimaced in disgust and glared at Eren like he was the most grotesque thing on the face of the planet.

“Don’t get that shit on my floor. Petra, or Ms. Ral, resigned after she had her baby a month ago. I’m the new school nurse, kid.”

Eren raised an eyebrow when the new school nurse referred to Ms. Ral by her first name and widened his eyes when the man said he was the new school nurse. This guy seems to have no filter even though he was addressing a student and he doesn’t seem like the friendly type either. What was the principal thinking when he hired this guy?

“Hey, brat, are you just going to stand there gaping like an idiot or are you going to come in here and let me see that nose?”

Eren blinked and nodded before crossing over into the room and sitting down in the chair located by the nurse’s desk. The nurse took his time washing his hands and then put on gloves before he sat down in his chair and faced Eren. He motioned for Eren to pull the tissues away from his nose. Eren complied before letting out a gasp at the sudden contact when the nurse began to feel the bridge of his nose and the surrounding area.

“Hmph. It’s not broken. I want you to lean forward a little and pinch the bridge of your nose. Sit like that for a few and that should stop the bleeding.”

Eren did as directed while he watched the nurse stand up and dispose of his gloves before washing his hands again. The man was short, like just a little over five feet, and Eren could tell he was built despite the loose, white lab coat. Eren couldn’t help but study him. Earlier Eren was too shocked to really take in the man’s appearance, but now that he had already processed the new information he was realizing how attractive the man was.  He had black hair styled in an undercut, thin eyebrows that seemed like they were probably always furrowed, and the most intense gray eyes Eren had ever seen.  Eren was kind of glad his nose was already bleeding, because he wouldn’t have wanted to explain a sudden nosebleed to this guy.

“So, how did this happen, brat?”

Eren was startled out of his thoughts by the sudden question and realized the nurse was standing in front him with an annoyed expression on his face.

“Uh, I tripped and fell face first into a desk.” He wasn’t about to say that it’s because he was trying to start a fight. He didn’t know if this guy would turn him into the principal or not and Eren had promised Mikasa that he would try to stay out of trouble for his remaining two years of high school.

“Hmph. How clumsy can you be? I swear teenagers are like newborn calves, can’t walk worth shit.”

Eren’s cheeks turned a bright pink out of embarrassment and he looked down at his feet to hide his blush.

After a few minutes of silence, Eren heard the sink turn on and looked up to see the nurse washing his hands again. The nurse snapped on some gloves and motioned for Eren to take his hand away from his face. He proceeded to prod at Eren’s nose and took an alcohol wipe to the blood that had started to stain Eren’s skin.

Eren tried to look everywhere but at the nurse. The guy was impossibly close and Eren could feel the man’s breath on his face, which was starting to affect Eren in an utterly embarrassing way. Damn teenage hormones. Why was this guy so attractive? He skin was flawless and it just made Eren want to touch it.

Before Eren could embarrass himself anymore, the nurse pulled away and nodded his head like he would just have to settle with the intense scrubbing he had just administered to Eren’s face. Eren peered up at him with a questioning look, but before he could say anything the nurse spoke up.

“Okay, kid, you’re good to go. Next time you’re rushing to take a shit, try not to trip over your own god damned feet.”

Eren blinked and opened his mouth several times, before just settling with a nod of his head. The nurse flicked his wrist at Eren, indicating that he should get up and leave, before going back to his chair and pulling out some paperwork.

Eren reluctantly got up and started to head for the door to leave. Before he got to the door though, he turned around and opened and closed his mouth a couple of more times, like a fish gasping for air.  Should he ask or should he just leave it alone?

_Ah, fuck it. What do I have to lose?_

“Um, excuse me. I was just wondering. What’s your name?”

The man’s shoulders tensed and then he sighed before he turned around in his chair and gave Eren an annoyed look.

“You can address me as Mr. Heichou. Is that all?”

Eren absorbed this information greedily and nodded his head. He gave the nurse a small wave and started to back up towards the door.

“Thanks, Mr. Heichou. Have a good day.”

Mr. Heichou nodded his head with a hum of acknowledgement before turning back to his paperwork, leaving Eren to exit the office without another word.

As soon as Eren closed the door behind him, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He began his trek back to his class with a little hop in his step and a shit-eating grin on his face.

_Well, this is a new development. Oh man, I can’t wait to tell Armin about this._

~

 

Levi let out another sigh, this one is a little longer than the one he let escape after the boy asked him for his name. He put down the paperwork he was pretending to be distracted with and leaned back in his chair.

_Why did I let Erwin convince me to take this job? Oh right, Petra had to leave and he couldn’t find anyone to replace her. Damn you, eyebrows._

He initially refused Erwin, because he didn’t want to be stuck dealing with insufferable brats for most of the year. Unfortunately Erwin is really good at convincing people to do things they don’t want to do.

Luckily he wasn’t as busy as he thought he would be. The kid that came in just now was the first of the day and the day was almost over. He had some paperwork he needed to file and sort before he could begin disinfecting everything. Even though that boy was the only one to come in here, Levi wouldn’t skip out on his ritual of cleaning every crack and crevice in this room.

Speaking of that boy, the damned brat lied to him about how he busted his nose. He could tell just by the kid’s eyes, which were ridiculously intense and breathtaking by the way, because his emotions were plain as day.

Levi let out another sigh. He was going to have a talk with Erwin about this arrangement. He’s not into kids, but if they are normally as attractive as that boy that just left, Levi might just have a problem. Not that he would try anything, but why even give temptation the opportunity to rear its ugly head.

_I didn’t even get the kid’s name. Oh well._

Levi reached for the phone on his desk and dialed the extension for Erwin’s phone. Ring, ring, ring.

“Principal Smith, how may I help you?”

“Oi, Erwin, we need to talk about this job you have me doing. I don’t know if I can work with brats, especially if they’ve got eyes like this kid that just came in. I think I about drowned in them, they looked like the sea.”

Levi could hear Erwin chuckling over the line, which made Levi narrow his eyes in a glare that Erwin could obviously not see but hoped that he could somehow feel it.

“Levi, I never knew you to be the type to be attracted to kids.”

Levi growled, “I’m not, but I didn’t realize they looked like they were in their 20s. What are you feeding these kids, growth hormones?”

With that Erwin laughed out loud, “Ah, Levi, I’m sure you’ll be fine. I need you, school nurses are in _short_ supply.”

Levi could hear the emphasis Erwin put on the word “short” and growled out that he hoped Erwin ended up constipated for the next week before he slammed the phone down on its receiver.

Levi huffed before getting up to start his cleaning ritual. He needed something to take his mind off things and cleaning was always his go-to therapy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the first chapter!
> 
> I hope you guys liked it.
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated! If there's anything I need to correct, don't be afraid to point it out.
> 
> If you have any questions, just ask. You can ask on here or send me a message on my tumblr: hanjisbitch
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Tea And A Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little of Eren and Levi's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I didn't expect to put out Chapter 2 so quickly, but I got done writing it and I just couldn't hold in my excitement. 
> 
> This chapter doesn't have any interactions between our babies, so sorry! I want to build things up and I don't want to rush them into stuff. They deserve the whole shebang, you know! 
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is a bit boring, it'll pick up I swear!

The rest of the school day went off without a hitch. Eren went back to class and got reprimanded by Mikasa, which he took all in stride. She was really like a nagging mom more than a sister sometimes and it really got on Eren’s nerves, but he knew she was just trying to do her best to take care of him in place of his mom.

The last bell of the day rang and Eren rushed to his locker to grab his backpack and a couple of books he needed for homework. Mikasa was already standing there, leaning against the locker next to his and studying the tassels at the end of her red scarf with a bored expression. She looked up as Eren walked up and gave him a stern look, which made Eren sigh internally.

“Eren, please don’t start anything with Jean. I want to leave the school without watching you leave in the back of a police car.”

Eren shoved everything he needed in his backpack without a word and swung it over his left shoulder before closing his locker and heading to the front doors of the school with Mikasa keeping pace beside him. She glanced over at him a couple of times, waiting for a response, but Eren didn’t say anything until they had exited the building.

 “I promise I won’t, Mikasa. I’m not even interested in letting that horse face ruin the rest of my day”, Eren told her reassuringly with a small sigh.

Mikasa’s face relaxed before she smiled at him affectionately, “Okay, Eren. Well, I’m going to go hangout with Annie for a little bit before my shift at work. I probably won’t be home till around 9, there’s leftovers in the fridge.”

She gave him a small hug before she turned towards the student parking lot and headed in the direction of the blonde that was waiting for her by a dark red 2013 Mustang. Eren met Annie a few times, but it was usually just when she was picking Mikasa up to hangout. The girl seemed to be pretty apathetic, but Eren knew that Mikasa has been happier lately because of her so he didn’t mind not seeing his sister as much as he usually does. Eren started to walk towards the sidewalk, so he could begin the walk to his apartment. 

“Eren!”

Eren turned around when he heard a familiar name call out to him and grinned at his childhood friend. When Armin finally caught up to him, Eren had to hold back a laugh because Armin was so out of breath that it looked like he just ran a marathon. The blonde was bent over with his hands on his knees and was attempting to catch his breath before he finally looked up at Eren with a lopsided grin.

“I’m so glad I caught you before you left. I had to talk to my teacher about the JCL competition and I didn’t realize the time. Let’s walk together?”

Eren couldn’t keep his laugh in and gave Armin a side hug, “You should really start working out some more. I’m scared you’ll pass out the next time you try to catch up to me. Anyway, let’s start walking. I’ve got some stuff I want to tell you.”

Armin perked his eyebrows up at the last sentence and at the excitement Eren was trying hard to contain. Eren just grinned and started walking in the direction of their neighborhood.

Even though Eren is a junior and seventeen years old, he didn’t have a car. They could just barely afford their tiny apartment, all thanks to the help of Armin’s grandfather and Mikasa working part-time after school. So Eren and Armin’s ritual was to meet up after school, walk to Eren and Mikasa’s apartment, and hangout to discuss the day’s events. It’s been like this for the past 7 years, ever since Eren’s mom died and his dad disappeared. It helped Eren cope with everything, because it gave him a sense of normalcy that had disappeared after the accident.

“So, are you going to tell me what has you so excited? You look like a puppy that just got a new toy.”

Eren laughed and shook his head at the comparison before he looked at Armin and gave him a huge grin.

“Have you met or seen the new school nurse, Armin,” Eren asked while trying to tone down his excitement.

Armin looked surprised at the question and frowned, “There’s a new school nurse? What happened to Ms. Ral?”

Eren had a hop to his step before he turned around and started walking backwards so he could face Armin while he talked, he couldn’t contain his excitement anymore and needed to tell his friend this new piece of information.

“Oh, she had a baby last month and resigned. Anyway, we have a new school nurse and he’s a guy. He’s pretty damn short and he seems to have a weird sense of humor. Not to mention he looks like he’s constantly annoyed or pissed off. He’s got these intense gray eyes, Armin. Oh and he actually cussed in front of me. What was Principal Erwin thinking when he hired that guy?”

Armin’s eyes widened as Eren said all of this in one breath before Armin gave Eren a small smile. Eren drew in a breath, trying to let some oxygen in to his lungs before he let out a laugh at his own enthusiasm.

“You seem pretty excited about meeting the new school nurse, Eren. Why did you have to go to the nurse’s office though?” Armin playful poked Eren in the side when Eren finally settled for walking next to him.

Eren smiled sheepishly and sighed, “Well, you see, Jean started hitting on Mikasa, that asshole. You know me, Mikasa is my sister and that horse face isn’t good enough for her. So I tried to punch him, but he dodged and my face decided the desk was looking pretty friendly. Busted my nose, I was bleeding everywhere, Armin. So yeah. You should see him though. He’s pretty attractive and he looks young. I wonder how old he is.”

Armin started chuckling as Eren realized he was beginning to ramble again.

“Eren, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve developed a crush on the school nurse.”

At this, Eren stumbled over his own feet and started to stutter, “N-n-no, n-no way. That’s im-impossible! I don’t even know him! Armin, there’s no way I have a crush, you’re crazy. Plus, he has to be way older than us and he has a weird sense of humor. There would be no use in having a crush on someone like that. I just think he’s good looking, okay?”

Eren’s face felt like it was burning up with embarrassment, which is probably why Armin started laughing at him after he finished his spiel of denial. Eren playfully punched Armin in the arm before breaking out in a run to his apartment complex, leaving a wheezing Armin to catch up.

~

Levi finally finished his cleaning ritual shortly after the last bell of the day rang. Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, he headed to the sink to give his hands one more washing before he headed home. After he thoroughly washed and dried his hands, he grabbed his wallet and phone before heading out the door towards the employee’s parking lot. Most of the students were already gone, so the school was pretty empty as Levi made his trek to the side doors. This school was really too big and Levi wondered how the janitors managed to clean everything thoroughly, if they did at all.

_Probably not to my standards. At least, they don’t have to worry about my office. I told Erwin to tell them not to even enter it after school hours._

Levi reached the doors and pushed them open to be met with a warm breeze. He loosened his tie before he began walking towards his black 2012 Nissan Altima, which had an annoyingly tall, blonde man standing next to it.

  _Great._

“Good afternoon, Levi. I hope the rest of your day went well?”

Levi grunted at Erwin before taking his keys out, “Well enough. A couple of kids came in pretending not to feel well so that they could skip a class, but other than that I didn’t have to deal with too many brats.”

Erwin chuckled and scratched at the scruff on his chin, “Yeah, they’re testing the waters to see if they can use you to their advantage. Little do they know.”

Levi’s eyebrow twitched, “I’d like to see them try. I don’t have the patience to deal with spoiled teens. Anyway, when are you going to get rid of that scraggly shit on your face? It’s gross and looks itchy.”

Erwin outright laughed, rubbing at his chin, “I don’t know. I kind of like it. Hanji likes it.”

Levi grunted once again and opened the door to his car, “Well, whatever floats your boat. I’m heading home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, Levi slipped into his car, closed the door, and started the engine with a push of a button. The car was pristine, which was normal for anything of Levi’s, with black leather seats and absolutely nothing in the floorboards or seats. It looked brand new and it should, Levi made sure to clean it at least three times a week. After plugging in his iPod and selecting his usual playlist, Levi left the parking lot of the school and turned onto the main street. As he was driving towards his apartment, he noticed two boys walking on the sidewalk and talking.

“Hmph, it’s that brat with the bleeding nose. He sure looks giddy.”

Levi watched as the brunette playfully punched the blonde boy next to him, who had started laughing really hard, before he took off running and leaving his friend behind.

HONK.

Levi drew his eyes away from the scene to realize the light had turned green while he wasn’t paying attention. He huffed and put his foot down on the gas, “Alright, alright, I’m going, dick.”

The trip to his apartment complex wasn’t very long, maybe a ten minute drive if the traffic is good. Levi pulled into his designated parking spot, turned off the car, and headed to the entrance after hitting the button on his key to lock the car. He approached the elevators after nodding to the security guard at the front desk, hit the button for floor eight, and waited as the elevator took him up. The apartment complex was nice, a lot of people would consider it high-end, but Levi didn’t mind because the neighbors were usually quiet and respectful.

Levi stepped out of the elevator once it got to his floor and started pulling out his keys as he walked to his door. Once he reached it, he unlocked the door quickly and stepped into the dark entrance before setting his keys and wallet on the table next to the door and flipping the light switch.

Like everything else of Levi’s, the apartment was clean and almost bare enough that it looked like no one lived here. Levi didn’t have many possessions and he hated clutter, so he only had the bare necessities besides a few decorative pieces here and there. The furniture was all black and gray which contrasted nicely with the clean, white walls. His couch was leather, which Levi enjoyed when Fall and Winter came around because he liked cold things, especially cold leather.

Meow.

“Hello, Bean. I hope you haven’t made a mess of the place while I was gone.”

The cat just looked at him before rubbing up against his leg and walking off to do whatever cats did when no one was watching.

“Tch, cat, getting fur on my pants. Why did I let Hanji convince me to take you?”

Levi stepped into his kitchen and reached into the cupboard for the kettle and a tea cup. Tea was the one thing that he drank besides water and no one would stop him from drinking, no matter if the amount of sugar he put in it wasn’t healthy. He filled the kettle up with water, placed it on the stove and turned on the eye.

While the water was heating up, Levi exited the kitchen and headed to the couch to grab the TV remote. He turned the TV on and immediately put on the news for background noise before he headed to the left towards his bedroom while taking off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

The one thing he loved the most in his apartment, besides his nice leather couch, was his huge California king bed. The damn thing was super soft and big, it made Levi feel like he was lying on a huge cloud which made it almost impossible to get the motivation to get up in the morning. His bed was decorated with a black duvet and large, white pillows, which a certain tabby cat was nestled in at the moment.

Levi sighed and went to his dresser, he placed his tie neatly on top of it before slipping off his button up, folding it, and placing it in the dirty clothes basket close by. He left his white undershirt on and slipped off his slacks so he could slip on some black sweats. Now that he was officially comfortable, he heard the kettle whistling in the kitchen and headed back to finally get his cup of tea.

Pouring some of the boiling water into the cup over a tea bag, he then reached into the cabinet for the sugar before he grabbed some milk out of the fridge. He poured two tablespoons of sugar and just a tidbit of milk into the tea, stirring it up, before taking the teabag out and throwing it away. Now that his tea was done, he walked over to his couch and sat down to watch the news and enjoy his cup of tea.

Sip.

“Aaaah. Perfect way to end the day.”

Levi closed his eyes and leaned his head back to rest on the couch with a sigh of contentment on his lips. As he sat there, he kept seeing a certain pair of eyes that looked like the sea flash behind his eyelids. They were bright, enticing, and full of life. He felt like a person could really drown in them if they stared too long. Why does a kid have eyes like that? Levi let out a sigh of frustration before he decided to watch the news to take his mind off things that shouldn’t have been on his mind at all. Maybe it’ll be awhile before he sees those eyes again and he’ll have forgotten all about the boy.

_Maybe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter. I don't have a beta, so if anyone would like to do the honors, I'd appreciate it!
> 
> I don't know when I'll get chapter 3 out, because I've got college and whatnot. I'm aiming to write 3 and 4 in the next week, so expect an update in a week.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. End of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more interaction between Eren and Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, first and foremost, I changed Principal Erwin to Principal Smith in Chapter 1, I don't even know why I went with Erwin in the first place. So that's how he's going to be addressed when it's the kids, he'll always be Erwin to Levi. 
> 
> Second, I hope you guys like this chapter.

Eren swore that if he could get any angrier he would literally have smoke coming out of his ears and mouth. His face was contorted with ire and his fists were so tight that his nails were biting into his palm. He wouldn’t be surprised if they started bleeding, but at the moment he didn’t really care. Jean Kirstein was standing in front of him with a cocky smirk on his lips and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Once again, he was egging Eren on and Eren was finding it hard to control himself from letting the bastard have it.

“You’re such a loser, Jaeger. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend,” Jean laughed.

“I don’t see how you have any room to talk, Jean. I saw you behind the school sucking that football player off,” Eren countered.

“Why you-.” Jean launched himself at Eren right when Eren took a step forward.

Who knows whose fist connected first, because when they were abruptly pulled apart by the principal and Armin, they were both bloody and out of breath.

“I don’t know which of you started this, but both of you are getting in-school suspension tomorrow and you’re going straight to the nurse’s office,” Principal Smith looked at both of them with a disapproving frown.

“B-but, Principal Smith, I have soccer practice during lunch tomorrow,” Jean whined, but immediately shut up as the principal raised his eyebrow at him.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to miss it. I’ll let the coach know. Now both of you come with me, everyone else go home,” Principal Smith addressed the small crowd that had formed when the fight broke out and then began to escort them towards the nurse’s office. Eren looked back at Armin, who looked worried, and shrugged his shoulders letting his friend know that there isn’t much they could do.

Armin nodded and headed towards the school entrance to go home, Eren will have to call him later to let him know he’s okay. Eren and Jean walked silently on either side of the principal, with the occasional hiss in pain from Eren when the movement jolted his wounds. When they finally reached the nurse’s office, Principal Smith knocked on the door twice and waited for it to open.

Eren watched intently as the door opened to reveal Mr. Heichou with a very annoyed expression on his face. Eren caught himself admiring the man in front of them once again.

“Mr. Heichou, these two boys need your medical expertise. I know it’s after school hours, but I don’t want to send them home all bloody. I hope it’s not too much trouble,” the principal gave Mr. Heichou an apologetic smile.

“Fine. Both of you come in here. You, two-toned, sit in that chair over there and you, sit on the bed,” Mr. Heichou pointed at their designated spots and then turned to the principal, “Thank you, I will take it from here.”

Principal Smith nodded his head, gave the two boys a stern look, and then closed the door to the office as he left. Mr. Heichou turned to face both of them and seemed to be assessing their damage before going over to Jean.

“Seeing as you have the least amount of damage, I’m going to go ahead and treat your wounds so you can hurry up and leave.” The school nurse took out some gauze, medical tape, alcohol wipes, and antibiotic ointment from the medical cabinet and began to patch Jean up. Eren watched as Mr. Heichou quickly and effectively cleaned every cut on Jean’s face before putting ointment on it and patching up his cheek. The nurse looked over his handiwork before nodding and telling Jean the necessary procedures he needed to do to keep the wounds clean.

“You may leave now. I expect you to go straight home and inform your parents of the in-school suspension,” Mr. Heichou escorted Jean to the door of the office and then closed it when he was finally out of the room.

“Now, you. I didn’t expect that I would be treating you again. It seems you enjoy fighting and getting hurt,” Mr. Heichou stared at him as Eren looked down in embarrassment.

Eren didn’t know what to say besides that his whole face was hurting and he couldn’t see out of his right eye. He heard the water running as the nurse washed his hands and looked up to observe the man. It had been a few weeks, but Eren still couldn’t believe how incredibly attractive the man was. His skin was flawless and despite his short stature he didn’t look weak. His black hair was perfectly trimmed and not a strand was out of place. He looked like a model with his gray button-up shirt and black slacks on his thin frame. If it wasn’t for his height, Eren could have sworn that he was and just took this job as something to fill up his days.

The nurse snapped on some gloves as he approached Eren and grabbed the medical supplies he had set out before placing them on the bed next to Eren. He grabbed Eren’s jaw and turned his head to the side so he could get a better look at the work Jean left.

“Tch, you have a black eye, brat. Other than that, your face is fine besides the busted lip. Anything else on your body hurt?” Mr. Heichou looked at Eren expectantly as Eren grimaced when the nurse prodded his eye.

“U-um. My ankle kind of hurts, I think I twisted it,” Eren wiggled his left foot for emphasis and hissed as pain ran up his leg.

Mr. Heichou grabbed his leg and felt the ankle which caused Eren to hiss again. Eren watched as Mr. Heichou felt along his ankle bone with slender fingers.

“Well, it’s not broken. I’m just going to wrap it up in a bandage and I’m going to recommend staying off of it as much as possible for a couple of days. Now for your eye, I’m going to give you an ice pack and I want you to hold it there for a few minutes.” The nurse gently put Eren’s leg back down and went to go retrieve bandages and an ice pack.

Eren sighed internally as he silently reprimanded himself for letting Jean get exactly what he wanted out of him. They’ve always had this rivalry going on and they were constantly getting in fights since middle school. Occasionally they would set aside their differences and hangout, but those were few and far between. Eren was really regretting letting his anger get the best of him, because now Mr. Heichou is going to think Eren is just some brat that can’t control his temper. Eren doesn’t know why that bothers him, but it does. He doesn’t want the nurse to think he’s some immature kid who gets into fights constantly.

Mr. Heichou came back to give Eren the ice pack, which Eren pressed to his eye, and then began wrapping Eren’s ankle up after taking off his sock and shoe. The nurse did it quickly and with precision which kind of impressed Eren.

“Okay, brat, that’s done. I want you to keep that on for the next 24 hours. If you shower, take it off and then have someone else wrap it,” Mr. Heichou put his leg down after putting his sock and shoe back on.

“Now let me see that eye.” Eren nodded his head and pulled the ice pack away from his face. Mr. Heichou grabbed Eren’s jaw again and brought Eren’s face to him to look more closely. Eren’s face started burning up at the close proximity and the fact that the nurse had his hand on Eren’s face. He could feel the nurse’s breath on his skin as he moved Eren’s head at different angles to properly assess the damage.  

“It looks like it’ll be fine. Just put an ice pack on it for 10 minutes, take it off for 10 minutes, and then put it back on until some of the swelling goes down. It shouldn’t take long. After that, try to refrain from getting into any more fights.”

Eren nodded his head as much as he could while the nurse continued to have a grasp on his jaw. He nervously swallowed and hoped the nurse would back off soon, because damn his teen hormones.

~

Levi couldn’t believe his luck today. Not only did he have to clean up some kid’s vomit earlier that morning, he had to deal with two hotheads after school hours. Luckily the kid with the two-toned hair was easy to patch up and get rid of. However, this brat in front of him was a mess. Levi was pretty sure if Erwin hadn’t separated the two, this boy would’ve been even more of a mess.

Levi continued to hold the boy’s head in place while he looked at the remaining cuts on the kid’s face. He was trying hard not to look at the teen’s remaining good eye, because damn him if those eyes hadn’t done him in for the past few weeks. He couldn’t seem to get the boy out of his head and he didn’t even know the kid’s name.

 _Speaking of_.

“Oi, brat, what’s your name?”

Levi had to hold back a smirk as the boy jumped at the sudden question, he seemed kind of fidgety for some reason.

“E-Eren. Eren Jaeger,” the boy said while glancing away from Levi.

Eren Jaeger. Levi filed that away so that he now had a name to the face that has been plaguing his thoughts. Levi drew back slightly to look at Eren’s face as a whole and narrowed his eyes as he noticed the red tint across the kid’s face.

_Is he sick? He didn’t seem sick when he came in. What- oh. Oh. Teen hormones suck, don’t they, Eren Jaeger?_

“Tch, brat, whatever you’re thinking about you should probably stop,” Levi teased the boy which caused Eren’s whole face to turn a bright red while his mouth opened and closed several times.

Levi watched, amused with the show and decided to torture the boy just a little, because he had nothing better to do. He leaned forward again, acting like he was going to look at Eren’s wounds again, but moved his mouth close to the boy’s ear and let his breath tickle Eren’s skin. Levi let out a low chuckle, the sound sending a shiver down the teen’s body. As soon as he did that though, the teen immediately pushed him away and rushed out of the nurse’s office, leaving a surprised Levi to watch the door close on its own.

Levi sighed and shook his head. Maybe he went too far. Levi got up, quickly grabbed his belongings, and rushed out the door after the boy. It didn’t take much for him to catch up to Eren, seeing as the kid’s ankle was sprained and bandaged. He approached the boy from behind and coughed to announce his presence before he began his apology.

“Hey, look. I’m sorry, kid. I didn’t mean to tease you so much that you had to run out of the room. Will you accept my apology and let me drive you home so that you’re not walking on that ankle?”

The boy looked at him and then looked away before turning back to Levi and nodding his head, “Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

Levi tried to give Eren a reassuring smile, but he’s so out of practice with smiling that it probably looked like a smirk. He put his hand on the small of Eren’s back and redirected him to the side door that leads to the employee’s parking lot. Once the boy was facing the right direction, Levi put his arm back down to his side and escorted Eren to his car.

They both slipped into the car and Eren seemed to be awed by the cleanliness. Levi started the car up and began to drive out of the parking lot.

“So where do you live, Eren?”

“Ah, just a few blocks away at the Shiganshina Complex,” Eren pointed in the direction of the apartment complex before sinking back into the seat.

Levi kept quiet as he drove them to Eren’s apartment, because he didn’t want to make the boy even more uncomfortable than he already is. Every time Levi glanced over, he could see Eren fidgeting in his seat with that red tint to his cheeks. Levi almost regretted teasing the boy.

_Almost._

When they pulled up to the complex, Levi put the car in park and turned to look at Eren. The boy had his hand on the door handle, getting ready to open the door, before he turned to Levi and opened his mouth.

Levi cut the kid off before he could say thanks, “Hey, Eren, you don’t hate me, right?”

The question seemed to have thrown Eren off because his eyebrows shot up past his messy bangs. Levi watched as Eren thought to himself before the boy shook his head and gave Levi a small smile, “No, I don’t hate you, Mr. Heichou. Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it.”

With that, Levi watched as Eren got out of the car, closed the door, and walked towards the stairs on the side of the building. Once Eren disappeared from sight, Levi let out a huge sigh and put his car in reverse.

“What was I thinking? A teen showed more self-control than I did.”

Levi began his ride to his apartment while he thought about the brunette that had been sitting in his car just a few moments ago. What is it about that boy that is making Levi like this? Levi couldn’t figure it out and he didn’t like this new development.

_Eren Jaeger might be the end of me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it's okay. Feedback would be much appreciated!


	4. Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little brother/sister interaction and Levi beating himself up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, thank you to everyone that's been reading this! 
> 
> I've been leaning towards having Levi pursue Eren, because usually it's Eren. What do you guys think?  
> And I've been trying to decide if I should throw in Marco for some jeanmarco or go for jearmin, but I can't decide because I really like both ships. Maybe you guys can help me decide.
> 
> This is the longest chapter so far! I hope you guys like it. ^^

Levi eventually reaches his apartment and lets a sigh of relief pass his lips as he plops down on his couch. The day had taken a toll on him and he didn’t want to do anything but relax and watch crappy reality TV. He loosened his tie, unbuttoning the top three buttons on his shirt, and removed his shoes and socks. He lay down on the cold leather with a groan of appreciation at the difference between the couch’s and his body’s temperature. Slinging his arm over his eyes, he mumbled at the cat that decided it would be the perfect time to jump up onto his stomach and start kneading.

_Eren Jaeger. Why him?_

Levi knew it wasn’t because he’s attracted to teens, because he has never been attracted to anyone that was more than 5 years younger than him. So he couldn’t fathom why he couldn’t get this teen out of his head. What was so unique about Eren Jaeger that Levi’s senses went completely out of whack?

Levi’s thoughts were interrupted by his cellphone’s ringtone. Levi groaned and sat up, making Bean jump done, and grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the call when he saw that it was Erwin.

“Levi! Do you have a moment? I just needed to talk to you for a few,” Erwin spoke up as soon as Levi put the phone up to his ear.

“Sure, what’s up?” Levi lay back down on the couch and rested his right arm over his stomach while he held the phone with his left hand.

“Ah, so I’ve known you for a while and sometimes even when you know someone for a long there’s some things you just don’t-“

Levi cut him off before Erwin could continue to beat around the bush, “Spit it out, Erwin.”

Erwin chuckled before coughing and getting to the point, “Well, someone saw you taking a student out of the parking lot in your car and decided to report it to me.”

Levi’s right hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose before he let out a loud, annoyed sigh, “I was just giving the kid a ride because he twisted his ankle. Nothing more than that.”

Levi could almost hear Erwin nod his head as he spoke again, “I know, I know. I don’t doubt you for a minute. I just wanted to inform you that you should be a little more careful if you plan on doing that again.”

Levi rubbed his hand over his face before he gave Erwin a reply, “Of course, eyebrows. Won’t happen again, so don’t worry.”

They did a little idle chit-chat before Erwin said that he had to go and help Hanji with some of the animals at her clinic. Levi was glad to be off the phone and slowly got up to make himself some tea so he could get back to that stage of relaxation he was at before Erwin called.

_Just perfect. Not only is my head a mess because of some brat with eyes like the sea, I have people thinking that I’m some sort of pedophile. Well, I guess, technically I am? Fuck no. It's just that brat._

Levi made his tea and sat back down on his couch so he could drown his thoughts with TV shows. Nothing like feeling a little better about yourself after watching some idiot drink so much he’s pissing in the corner.  

~

Eren reached his apartment door before he turned around and watched the school nurse speed off out of the complex parking lot. Eren sighed and turned back to his apartment so he could hurry up and get comfortable. When he got through the door he slipped his shoes off at the designated area for shoes right inside the door and walked to the kitchen, tossing his backpack onto the counter. Eren grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and the milk out of the fridge before pouring him a glass and downing it in one go.  

He grabbed his backpack off the counter and went to his room so he could change out of his school clothes. His room was a little messy, clothes lying haphazardly on the floor and empty water bottles lying by his bed, but Eren didn’t particularly care. Eren threw his backpack on his bed and went to his dresser, pulling out black basketball shorts. He slipped his jacket and pants off, pulling on the shorts, before he went to the living room to sit down on their old, creaky couch and turn on the TV.

_Oh yeah, I need to call Armin and tell him I’m okay._

Eren pulled out his flip phone and selected Armin’s name in his contacts before pressing the call button. Ring, ring, ring.

“Eren! Are you okay?” Armin’s worried voice came through the phone.

Eren laughed a little and replied, “Yes, I’m okay. You shouldn’t worry so much about me. I’ve just got a black eye and twisted my ankle a little. No biggy, okay?”

Armin still sounded worried, but now there was a hint of anger in his tone, “Eren, you really shouldn’t fight! Just wait until Mikasa comes home and sees you. She’s going to be so pissed!”

_Ah. Fuck._

Eren completely forgot about Mikasa and how she would react to his appearance. Luckily she’s at the 7-eleven down the road, working and wouldn’t be home for another four hours. Eren groaned as he imagined exactly how Mikasa was going to react.

“Fuck, Armin. You’re right. I totally messed up.”

Armin sighed over the phone, “Yeah, Eren. It’ll be okay though. At least you’re not suspended from school. So, did you get to see that nurse again?”

Eren let out another groan as he proceeded to tell Armin exactly what happened in the nurse’s office. They talked for a good two hours before Armin excused himself to go do some homework. Eren dropped the phone onto the cushion next to him and placed both of his hands on his face, slowly sliding them down to drop them into his lap.

_Why did Mr. Heichou even do that? Why tease me? He should know how crazy teen hormones can get. Why was I getting so flustered though? I didn’t think I was into dudes that way, though I’ve never been into chicks that much either._

Eren scratched the back of his head before getting off the couch and heading to the kitchen to start dinner. Seeing as Mikasa was the one working, Eren was usually the one to cook dinner. He didn’t know if he could really consider it cooking, though. They were pretty poor so they lived mostly off of ramen, Hamburger Helper, and instant mashed potatoes. Tonight, he decided he was going to make the cheeseburger flavored Hamburger Helper and some loaded baked potato mashed potatoes.

Nine o’clock rolled around and Eren heard the door open and shut. Mikasa was home and Eren was determined to put off the argument that was definitely going to happen when she gets a good look at his face. He stayed remaining on the couch and pretended to be engrossed in America’s Funniest Home Videos on the TV.

“Welcome home, Mikasa,” he called out to her as he heard her place her keys on the counter and open the fridge.

“Hey, Eren. Did you make dinner?”

“Yeah, it’s in the green container on the second shelf.” He heard her pull said container out and pop it in the microwave to heat it up. He continued to sit on the couch, watching a compilation of guys getting hit in the balls.

“How was work? No crazy people tonight, I hope. Did you have to kick anyone’s ass?” He thought that maybe if he got her to talk about her day, she would be too distracted to notice his face.

Mikasa entered the living room with her dinner in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She plopped down on the couch next to him and put the bottle down at her feet.

“Ugh, there was this creep that came in and kept asking for my number. I had to tell him numerous times that it’s against company policy to give out our phone numbers, eventually he got the clue when Mike came out and showed off his manager name tag.”

_So far, so good._

Eren flipped through the channels to find them something good to watch as Mikasa started in on her dinner. “That sucks. Good thing Mike was there to scare the creep away. Knowing him, he probably sniffed the guy and creeped him out, am I right?”

Mikasa muffled a laugh with the back of her hand that was holding her fork. After she got done laughing, Eren watched out of the corner of his eye as she turned her head to face him.

_Fuck._

“Eren. What happened to your face?” Mikasa’s tone was calm as she put her food down on her lap.

“Ah, this? Nothing. I just tripped down the stairs at school. You know how clumsy I can be.” Eren tried to laugh it off, but he could feel the anger coming off Mikasa in waves.

“Was it Jean, Eren? Did you two get in another fight?” Mikasa was being extremely calm which scared Eren even more, because she’d usually raise her voice and smack him across the head. He took in a big breath and faced Mikasa with a sheepish grin.

“Yeah, it wasn’t that bad. Um, I have a day of ISS, but that’s no big deal. It’ll be fine.” He tried to sound reassuring and act like it wasn’t that big of a deal that he got in-school suspension. Mikasa glared at him before she stood up and took the container to kitchen to rinse it out in the sink. When she came back, she stood in between Eren and the TV so she could look at his face properly. She grabbed his head with her hands on each side and moved it side to side, taking in the damage.

Once she was done with her examination, she dropped her hands from his face and put them on her hips. Eren couldn’t help but think of her as a mother when she did this.

“You need to stop fighting, Eren. One day you’re going to get hurt and leave me here all alone. What am I supposed to do if you die? You’re the only family I have.”

Eren could almost hear his heart break as Mikasa crossed her arms in front of her. He knew that ever since his mom died, Mikasa had been trying her hardest to provide them a normal life. It wasn’t fair to her. She had not only lost both of her parents when she was younger, but not even shortly after she lost her adoptive mother too and her adoptive dad just disappeared. Eren knew how hard all of it was on Mikasa, but sometimes he would forget about that and he’d get frustrated at her for being so protective and overbearing. Eren got up from the couch and embraced his sister, trying to reassure her that he was very much alive and not leaving her alone.

“I’m sorry, Mikasa. I promise I’ll stop fighting. You have enough on your plate already. You shouldn’t have to worry about a big idiot like me.”

Eren pulled back to look Mikasa in her face and gave her a reassuring smile. Mikasa frowned at first, but then slowly unfolded her arms and nodded. They both sat back down and decided to watch the movie Pitch Perfect, before finally going to their respective rooms for the night.

~

Eren woke up a few minutes before his alarm went off. He groaned and turned his back to the offensive numbers and stupidly bright alarm clock, trying to get back to sleep for the remaining minutes. Of course it was a futile attempt, because as soon as he was finally starting to slip back into unconsciousness, the annoying device blared its wake-up call and made Eren groan in defiance. He slapped the offending electronic off into the floor, muttering a curse when the fall didn’t shut it up. He hung half of his body over the edge of his bed and grabbed the alarm clock to turn it off.

Eren eventually got out of bed and got dressed, deciding to wear his most comfortable pieces of clothing because he would be sitting in one room for the day and he didn’t care what he wore when no one was going to really see him today. He grabbed an apple before leaving the apartment, noting that Mikasa had already been picked up and was probably already at school with Annie.

Armin met him at the corner of the street and they walked together, just like they did every morning and afternoon. Armin talked about the upcoming Junior Classical League competition he had to go to. Eren tried to listen intently, but Armin was talking about stuff that Eren didn’t even understand, so he just shook his head or hummed in agreement when it seemed appropriate.

When they got to the school they split ways, Armin was the treasurer for the student committee and had a meeting to go to before first period. Eren made his way to the ISS room, albeit very slowly because he was not looking forward to being overloaded with work and being stuck in a cubicle. Eren made it to the room and gave the teacher his name, which made the teacher pull out a packet of work for his classes and hand them to him. He was directed to a neon, green cubicle in the back of the room and told that he was not allowed to play on his phone, talk to other students, or sleep.

The day dragged on for what seemed like forever. Jean had made it right before the bell rang for classes to start and luckily he was sat on the other side of the room. Eren dove into his work when staring at the cubicle wall became extremely boring. He hated that teachers gave students extra work on top of the assignments he had to already do outside of ISS and when he says extra, he means like you-can-be-crushed-by-the-sheer-volume extra. Eren got maybe halfway done with the assignments before the last bell of the day rang. Eren began gathering everything up and waited for everyone else to leave so that he could avoid Jean as much as possible. He gave the teacher a nod before he headed out the door to freedom.

~

Levi didn’t know why he decided to wait outside the ISS room. Somehow his feet just decided to start moving and brought him straight to the room after the last bell rang. He leaned up against the wall as he watched the teens file out of the room, all of them with a look of relief on their face. He hadn’t seen Eren come out and almost decided to go inside the room to make sure the boy had shown up, but he didn’t even get to move a couple of inches before a startled teal-green eye met his.

“H-hello, Mr. Heichou,” the teen stammered as he came to halt right outside the door.

Levi reached behind the boy and pulled the door to, slightly brushing up against the teen before pulling back and looking up at Eren. “Hello, Eren. I just wanted to stop by and check to make sure your eye is healing properly.”

He watched as Eren visibly swallowed while a blush formed on his cheeks. Levi just couldn’t handle how much he enjoyed making Eren flustered. It was entertaining and, he hated to admit it, impossibly cute.

“Let’s go to my office and I’ll have a look at it. Can’t really look at it standing in the hallway, because you teens seem to take growth hormones with every meal.” Levi turned his back to the boy and waved his hand to signal the teen to follow him.

Once they got to his office, he ushered Eren in and directed him to sit down on the bed the boy sat on last time. He left the teen there so he could go wash his hands and slip on some latex gloves. He came back to a fidgety Eren and tried his hardest not to smirk as he stepped up to the teen to inspect his eye.

Levi examined it carefully and concluded that it was healing nicely and would be fine soon enough. Before he could pull back he made the mistake of looking into the teen’s good eye, which was fixed intently on him. When Levi told Erwin that someone could drown in them, he wasn’t kidding. Levi got caught in the wave and he was being dragged into Eren’s eye. Before he knew it, his lips were pressed up against the teen’s and even more surprising, Eren was returning the kiss. His lips were so soft and the kiss was nothing but sweet.

Levi could have sworn he was dreaming all of this, but he realized he wasn’t and he quickly pulled away in panic. Eren’s eye was closed and when Levi pulled away, he opened it slowly as if he was in a daze. He probably saw Levi’s panic in his stormy gray eyes which made Eren widen his own.

“Ah shit, ah fuck. I shouldn’t have done that. You need to leave, Jaeger. Go.” Levi was turning his back to Eren as he pointed to the door. Eren hadn’t moved though and Levi almost wanted to tear his hair out.

“M-Mr. Heichou, why-“ Levi heard Eren get up off the bed and before the teen could continue his sentence or come any closer, Levi cut him off.

“I’m sorry, Eren, but you need to leave right now.” Levi’s voice was unnaturally shaky, but luckily it sounded firm enough that the teen got the clue and took his leave. Levi sank into the chair next to his desk and leaned over his knees with his elbows on top of them and his head in his hands. He tugged at his hair in frustration and anger. Levi sat there for a good thirty minutes just mentally thrashing himself before he looked up with his chin resting on his palms and his fingers splayed over his mouth.

“Fuck. I’m so fucked. I just fucked everything up.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really worried I'm rushing it. ;-; 
> 
> Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Next chapter is going to be Halloween themed, because in this universe it's October right now and I just really want to do a Halloween themed party, lol. 
> 
> And with the way things are going, maybe Eren and Levi can do Christmas together. :3


	5. Halloween Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew go to Jean's Halloween party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update. I got sick last week and I'm just now getting over it. Then I had assignments that I put off till the last minute. I'm a really bad procrastinator. x.x
> 
> This chapter is mostly hinted Jearmin. I'm so sorry if it's really crappy. It's almost 2am here and I'm exhausted, so I'll edit it tomorrow if need be. I was planning on writing Chapter 6 and posting it up too, but I just haven't had the time. I promise I will get it out in the next couple of days. 
> 
> I am tagging anything fic related as fic: hands clean, so if you're wondering about updates, I'll probably have posted something up about it in the tag. My tumber is: hanjisbitch, in case anyone is wondering.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!
> 
> Edit: I think I was half asleep when I read this over last night. Well, I fixed some errors. Sorry it was so sloppy!

Eren slid into his desk for the first class of the day, an English class that he shared with Armin. Speaking of the blond, he saw that Armin was anxiously waiting for him to sit down to the point that he was almost bouncing in his seat.

"Eren!"

Eren widened his eyes at his friend's obvious excitement, "What's up, Armin? Are you okay?"

Armin rolled his eyes and grinned, "Of course. I've got a question for you, though. Well, more like a request."

Eren got comfortable in his desk before he spoke again, "Sure, what's up?" Eren wasn't sure if he was going to like this request, but he was going to give his friend a chance.

"Well, Jean invited me to a Halloween party he's throwing at his house. His parents aren't going to be in town for the weekend, so he decided to throw a big party and invite lots of people. Now, I know you and Jean don't get along normally, but I asked him if you and Mikasa could come and he said he didn't care. So, do you want to go to the party with me? I already asked Mikasa and she said that she'd only go if you went." Armin inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath, because he knew if he hadn't said it in all one go, Eren would've flat out refused.

Eren furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of Jean and then frowned when Armin said Mikasa would go. Eren really didn't hate Jean, but the guy got on his last damn nerve. However, this Halloween party would be a great way for Eren to relax and get out of the apartment. He had been stuck by himself more often than not, because Mikasa had been working a lot. Most of the time, he was thinking about what happened a couple of weeks ago and why it happened, but he tried to occupy his thoughts with other things so he didn't go crazy. He hadn't seen Mr. Heichou since then, but either the nurse was avoiding him entirely or he had quit. Eren knew it wasn't the latter, because Armin confirmed for him that the nurse was still very much there. Despite knowing that, Eren didn't feel any better because that meant Mr. Heichou was avoiding him at all costs. Eren didn't know why that hurt so badly, but he knew that he needed something to distract his mind from it all.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go."

Armin looked relieved and gave Eren a big grin, "But you've got to promise me, Eren, that you won't start anything with Jean. He said you could come as long as you didn't cause a scene."

Eren scuffed at that, "He's the one who usually starts it!"

Their conversation got cut short by the bell that announced the beginning of class. Eren turned to face the front, but instead of actually paying attention his thoughts were consumed by Halloween costume ideas and a short nurse who kissed him.

~

The day of the party came up pretty quickly. Eren and Mikasa went home together after school to get ready for the party, Armin leaving them to go to his house to do the same. Seeing as they were dirt poor, they just bought the generic, cheap costumes. Eren decided to go as a vampire, while Mikasa was going as Cleopatra. They both were ready when Armin knocked on the apartment door in his Headless Horseman costume and told them that his grandpa let him borrow the car. One fact about the trio was that Mikasa and Armin already had their license, while Eren was lagging behind. He just didn't have the patience to learn how to drive, especially when Mikasa was trying to teach him.

They piled into the green 1999 Mazda 626, complimented each other on their costumes, before heading out to Jean's house on the other side of town. Armin was notably excited to be going to the party. He was laughing and smiling, while practically talking their ears off. It made Eren wonder if there was a specific reason why he was so giddy, but Eren didn't think about it too long. As long as Armin is happy, Eren wasn't too stressed about the details.

When they finally pulled up to Jean's house, Eren had to gawk. It almost looked like a mansion, it was so big. It had three stories and so many windows Eren didn't even bother to try to count. The party was in full swing with cars parked all along the driveway and front yard. The group got out of the car kind of awestruck. Well, it was mostly Armin and Eren, Mikasa was as indifferent to these kinds of things as she was with just about everything else. Mikasa began to walk towards the house, which broke the other two out of their revere, and they made their way to the front door.

Once they reached the door, they saw that it was open with music and a few drunk high schoolers pouring out of it. Eren gave the other two a look, making sure they still wanted to go in, to which both of them just shrugged and walked past him into the house. Eren sighed and braced himself for the inevitable headache and frustration that was bound to happen in the next few hours.

The group quickly found their niche in the crowd of people. They decided to occupy a small spot in the corner of what could only be considered a sitting room. Luckily the people around were people they knew, so they didn't have any trouble securing it. They started getting comfortable after being at the party for half an hour, greeting fellow classmates and friends who stopped by to talk.

"Eren! I'm going to go get us some drinks, what do you want?" Armin raised his voice to be heard over the music and Eren just shrugged his shoulders to the question.

"Bring me whatever. I don't care." Eren leaned against the wall, watching some of the other people in the room dance. Armin left to go towards what Eren could only assume was the kitchen. He didn't even think about questioning why Armin didn't ask him to come with him. Mikasa had already abandoned them to go find Annie in the sea of people. Eren couldn't believe how many people were here. It was like the whole school decided to come, though he was sure Jean would've only invited juniors and seniors.

"Hey, Eren!"

Eren turned to the voice that called his name and gave the petit, blonde girl a smile, "Hey, Historia! Nice costume!"

She smiled prettily as she twirled a little, showing off her princess costume, full of frills, bows, and even topped with one of those pointy hats. Eren smiled and looked to her companion whom was staring him down and trying to stand in front of Historia protectively. Ymir was always attached to Historia, the pair were nearly inseparable and there were always rumors whispered about the two but no one dared to ask. Ymir just happened to being wearing a knight costume which made Eren grin.

"Hey, Ymir! I like your costume too. You two go great together!" Eren could almost give himself a pat on the back as he watched Ymir relax when she realized he wasn't a threat.

"Yeah, thanks. Your costume is cool too." Ymir nodded her head in acknowledgement before leading Historia away to get more drinks. Historia waved a goodbye as she started to walk away and gave Ymir a small jab in the side with her elbow, which just made Ymir smile fondly at her.

_Man, where is Armin with those drinks?_

~

Armin wandered around the house, trying to find where the drinks were at so he could get back to Eren. As he was looking around, feeling like he was lost in this big house, a familiar voice called out to him and two figures appeared to give him a friendly smile. Armin grinned at the two guys as he observed their costumes. Armin had known Reiner and Bertholdt since last year and he calls them his friends, despite the fact that they barely hang out or even talk. The shorter of the two, Reiner, was dressed to the T in a Thor costume, all the way down to the blond wig to complete the look. While Bertholdt was Thor's brother, Loki, complete with the horns and black wig.

"Nice costumes, guys! Did you guys coordinate?" Armin asked them curiously. Bertholdt's face turned a bright red and it seemed like he was sweating even more profusely than normal. Armin chalked it up to all the body heat accumulating in such a crowded space.

Reiner gave him a grin and nodded his head in response, "Yeah. Bert couldn't decide what to do and I was already going as Thor so we thought Loki would be great for him."

Armin chuckled and continued to talk to them for a few more minutes before excusing himself to go back to his original mission. Armin noticed Mikasa and Annie standing in a corner together and talking, but he decided not to interrupt. It looked like they were having a deep discussion while Annie stood in a Red Panda onesie, which Armin would've thought was cute if she didn't look so serious. He continued into the back of the house and felt some relief when the crowd seemed to thin out. It wasn't as hot in the back of house as it was in the front, which reminded Armin that he had left Eren by himself with no drink in that huge crowd.

"Armin!" Jean walked up to him with a huge grin on his face. Armin noted the horse onesie that Jean was sporting and had to hold back a laugh so Jean wouldn't think he was rude.

"Hey, Jean. Nice costume." Armin smirked a little as the soccer player smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone comments on how I look like a horse, so I decided to have fun with it. You know that saying, 'If you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?'" Jean chuckles and shrugs his shoulders.

Armin smiles slowly and nods his head in agreement before he remembers why he's even back here. "Hey, Jean. Where are the drinks? Your house is so big, I got lost."

Jean gives him an apologetic smile and grabs his hand to lead him towards the drinks. Armin is so surprised at the sudden contact that he follows Jean without addressing it and tries to hide his growing blush as best as he can. Jean pulls him back into the crowd and holds onto him as they press through the sea of high schoolers. Once they reach the kitchen where the drinks are being poured and served, Armin expects Jean to let go of his hand but Jean just grabs a couple of beers with his empty hand and begins to lead them back out into the crowd.

Before they got too far, Jean pulls Armin close and leans down to talk in his ear, "Hey, you're wanting these for you and Eren right? Where is he?"

If anyone could see Armin's ears at the moment, they would've seen them turn a beet red as he blushes furiously at the close contact and the breath that was tickling his cheek. He nods and points in the direction of the sitting room. Jean pulls back and gives Armin a small smile before beginning to push their way through the crowd once again. The whole time Armin's heart beat so fast he was surprised it didn't break through his chest. He didn't know when he began to have a crush on Jean Kirstein, but he had it bad and this close contact wasn't helping his heart at all. He was almost glad when they finally reached Eren, who was idly talking to two other kids. Sasha was dressed as a French Baker, though the bread that she brought with her was half eaten. Connie was dressed as Rey Mysterio from WWE. They were both being as animate as they usually are and Eren was laughing as he watched their antics.

Before Eren could see them, Jean let go of Armin's hand and handed him two of the beers that he had grabbed. Armin thanked him with a shy smile and Jean gave him a huge grin before leaning down to talk in his ear once more, "It's no problem. Thanks for coming to the party. Sorry I can't stay and hangout, but I have to make sure no one is in my parent's room having a grand time."

At this Armin blushed furiously while Jean scowled at the thought before leaving Armin with the beers. Armin breathed in deeply to gain his composure before approaching Eren and the other two classmates with a smile.

~

Levi laid back on his couch while he flipped through the channels on his TV. It was close to 10 p.m. and he was really debating on if he should go ahead and pass out or not. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by his phone vibrating on his coffee table, effectively scaring Bean out of Levi's lap. Levi groans and answers the phone reluctantly.

"What is it, four eyes?"

"Aw, Levi, there's no need to be so defensive right off the bat!" Hanji's voice came through phone and almost made Levi groan again in annoyance.

"If you don't say what you want in the next 5 minutes, I'm hanging up." He pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to massage the annoyance away.

"Well, rude. I was just seeing if you wanted to go to this Halloween party that's being held over at my clinic." He could hear a couple of dogs back in the background.

"How about no. I don't want to be stuck in some place with all sorts of animals and weirdos."

Levi heard Hanji sigh before he heard a "told you" in the background from Erwin. The two have been his friends since high school and the only two friends he really had. Despite that, Levi was not going to be coerced into going to some dumb Halloween party. He didn't even have a costume and he wasn't about to go as some stupid generic vampire or werewolf.

"The answer is no, shitty glasses. I won't be convinced to change my mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm missing the Harry Potter marathon that's on. So, goodbye." Levi hung up the phone before he could give Hanji the chance to try to convince him to get off his comfy, leather sofa and actually put on a pair of pants.

He looked at Bean before addressing the tabby, "You understand me, Bean. It's too much effort having to go socialize with people when you'd much rather sit home and watch movies."

The cat paused cleaning his paw and gave Levi a look that was most likely a cat's way of saying, "Does it look like I care?"

Levi sighed and slid back into his couch, his eyes growing heavy with exhaustion. Before Levi knew it, he was passed out on his couch with Harry Potter playing in the background at 10:30 p.m. on a Saturday night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I wasn't even going to include Levi in this chapter, but I just couldn't help throwing him in there at the end. I needed some Levi after all of that, lol. 
> 
> I hope it's okay. Thanks again for reading!


	6. Apologies and Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's back to our two main guys!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I love these two so much. 
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying the story and thanks for reading!

A few days after the Halloween party, Eren and Armin decided to hangout while Mikasa was at work. They settled down on Eren’s couch and argued over which movie to watch first before they both agreed on 21 Jump Street. Eren put the bowl of popcorn between them and slouched into the couch while the movie started up. Armin was curled up, with his knees to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. This was how every movie night was, except Mikasa was usually in the middle of them and would hold the popcorn in her lap. Eren was really beginning to miss his sister, because it seemed all she did was work but he knew that it was necessary so that they could keep their apartment.

“Hey, Eren.”

Armin’s quiet voice drew Eren’s attention away from the movie, because Armin was never quiet around him, especially not when they were alone. He saw that Armin was fidgeting slightly, picking at his fingernails to get rid of invisible dirt. This was one of Armin’s ticks whenever he had something he really wanted to say, but was too nervous to say it.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Eren turned his body towards Armin, so that he could show his friend that he was listening.

“O-oh nothing. It’s nothing.” Armin gave him a timid smile, before acting like he was focused on the movie. Eren immediately knew something was bothering Armin, so he paused the movie and continued to face his friend.

“Something’s wrong. Tell me. You know you can trust me.”

Armin looked away, clasping his hands in nervousness, before he took in a deep breath and faced Eren.

“I’m gay and I like Jean.”

Eren blinked a few times then let out a low chuckle that evolved to loud laughter. He was wheezing before he began to wipe the tears from his eyes and look at the bewildered and upset Armin.

“Oh my god, I thought you were going to tell me something like you’re dying. Oh man. Armin, I’ve known you were gay since like the beginning of time. Though, I’m really surprised you like Jean. I’m so sorry for laughing like that. It was just not what I was expecting at all.”

Armin sniffled a little, wiping at the tears that were escaping with the sleeve of his shirt before punching Eren in the arm, “You asshole. I thought you were laughing at me for being gay. What do you mean you knew already? And I already know you don’t get along with Jean, so I was afraid you’d be mad.”

Eren winced and rubbed at his arm, “Ow. I said I was sorry. I just couldn’t stop laughing. I’m your childhood friend, how could I not know? You know I love you, so it doesn’t bother me in the least. You could permanently dye your skin purple and I’d still love you, dude. Yeah, I don’t like Jean but if you’re happy, I’m happy.”

Armin began to cry and furiously wipe at the tears with his shirt, “I thought you would find it creepy or gross, so I didn’t say anything before.”

Eren chuckled and brought his friend into a tight hug, “Do you think I’m that big of an asshole? C’mon, give me some credit.”

Armin pulled away and grinned at him before curling back up into his normal position, “You can be a dick sometimes, but you’re right. I should’ve trusted you more. You’ve never given me a reason to doubt our friendship.”

Eren smiled and settled back into his spot, placing his feet on the coffee table before gesturing with the remote, “Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way. Even though I’m still baffled that you like Jean, do you want to continue the movie?”

Armin laughed lightly and nodded his head. Eren pressed play and they both began to watch the movie once again. Well, Eren tried to watch the movie. He began to think about his own personal stress that has been piling up with unanswered questions.  Even though he knew Armin was gay, he wondered if Armin and Mikasa knew he was too. Eren never made a big deal about his sexuality and it’s not like he said anything to point to it. Oh well, he’ll address that when the time comes.

No, what he was worried about was what happened a couple of weeks ago between him and a certain school nurse. He didn’t understand why Mr. Heichou kissed him or why he was forced to leave immediately after. He wanted answers, but he was being avoided and that pissed Eren off more than anything. Eren absolutely despised putting off fixing a problem and the nurse was making it harder to address it. He thought about just waltzing into the office and asking Mr. Heichou right out, but he didn’t want to cause a scene during school. Despite all the jokes about Eren’s intelligence, he knew that Mr. Heichou would be fired for kissing a student and that was not what Eren was aiming for.

“Maybe…” Eren accidently spoke out loud as he was trying to think of a plan.

Armin looked at him curiously, “Maybe what?”

Eren shook his head and waved his hand as if to dispel what he said, “Oh, nothing. Thinking aloud about if I have enough shampoo to last till next week.”

Eren pretended to go back to watching the movie before Armin had a chance to pry, because he knew how bad of a liar he is. He sighed quietly and finally came to a decision. He was just going to have to do what he needs to do in order to make things right. All that he was worried about now was how the nurse would react tomorrow.

~

 Levi sat back in his office chair, his arms coming up to place his hands behind his head, and spun himself around with an audible sigh. It was nearing the end of the day, he only had one period left before they let the brats go home and then he could finally get out of this hellhole. If he hadn’t owed Erwin, he would’ve just said fuck it and quit the job already. This stress was unbearable and he could barely sleep. He has been waiting for the authorities to bust down his door or escort him off the school premises for the past couple of weeks. Every day he was waiting for an angry parent to storm into the office and beat the shit out of him. He could barely eat, the nerves were so bad that anything he ate just made him sick. He avoided going out of the office during school hours so that he didn’t accidently run into Eren. He didn’t want to face the reason why he was so ashamed of himself or the reason why he was paranoid to begin with. He thought that maybe if he made himself scarce the kid would forget about what happened and then Levi could go back to being the uncaring asshole that he normally was.

He stopped his chair from spinning and faced his desk with trepidation. If the kid told his parents, Levi would end up losing his job, license, and maybe even go to jail. Levi did not want to go to jail, he’s seen enough documentaries to see that it’s an unsanitary place filled with unsanitary people. He decided he was going to grab a drink when he got home to try to calm his nerves. As he was lost in thought, someone entered the office without a word. Levi thought that maybe if he ignored them, they would just go away and let him relax for the rest of the day. Of course, that only works in fictional stories.

“Mr. Heichou.” A familiar and unwelcomed voice reached his ears, making him sit up straight and hold his breath.

_No, no, no. Please not now._

“Mr. Heichou, I need to talk to you.”

Levi swore under his breath and steeled himself to remain emotionless as he turned his chair to face the brunette. The kid had his hands by his side, balled into fists, and his gaze was staring intently at Levi, waiting for a response.

“You should leave, kid.” Levi congratulated himself for keeping the nervousness out of his voice. He was going to try to convince the kid to leave and forget about what happened.

“YOU should tell me why you kissed me and then told me to leave.” Eren glared at Levi, those teal eyes intense and unwavering.

Levi deadpanned and gave the brat a condescending look, “That was a mistake and it won’t ever happen again. I was delirious. Now, if you would please leave and try to refrain from letting that accident slip to your parents I would appreciate it.”

Levi didn’t think it was possible, but Eren’s glare got more intense, “My mom is dead and my dad is missing. There are no parents for you to worry about.”

That completely caught Levi off guard and made him grimace, “Ah, shit. I’m sorry, kid.”

Eren began to relax, shrugged his shoulders, and offered him a small smile, “It’s not like you would’ve known, it’s fine. It happened years ago. Don’t worry about me telling anyone either. It’s not like I was opposed to it. I just want to know why.”

Levi crossed his arms and sat back in his chair while looking down to the side, “Honestly, brat, I don’t know. My body moved on its own. Sorry.”

Eren nodded his head and gave him another sheepish smile when Levi looked up again, “Yeah, I figured. Well, hope you have a good rest of the day.” Eren left the office before Levi could say anything else.

Levi slouched into his chair and covered his face with his hands muffling a groan. He had lost sleep and weight with the all the anxiety of wondering if and when he was going to go to jail or fired. Now all the anxiety was gone, it evaporated with Eren’s reassurance. He could relax and stop watching his back every time he ventured anywhere. The relief was unsurmountable and Levi needed that drink for a whole different reason now.

He leaned forward in his chair with his elbows resting on his knees and his head propped up with his hands as he began to really think about what just happened. The kid, no, Eren impressed Levi with his maturity. He had shown Levi maturity well beyond his years and Levi wondered if it was because of losing his parents at such a young age. Now that Levi started thinking about it, he felt guilty for even bringing his parents up. He knew that it wasn’t really his fault because he didn’t know, but still.

Levi sighed and wondered if he would see Eren again soon. Not that he really needed the added exposure to the kid.

_I think I’ve established that the brat is not beneficial to my health at this point in time. Note to self: stay far, faaar away._

Levi nodded to himself and got up to start his cleaning for the end of the day. He was going to make sure he never slipped up like that ever again. Hopefully the kid got the clue and would try to avoid needing Levi’s assistance as much as possible.

_Wait. Did he say he wasn’t opposed to it?_

Levi stopped in his tracks and tried to recall exactly what Eren had said to him. He couldn’t remember if the kid said that or his mind made it up, he was so stressed that the scene from earlier was all jumbled up in his head. He shook his head and laughed at himself.

_No way in hell did he say that. I must be losing my god damn mind._

~

Eren sat down in his sixth period class and grinned to himself. He felt accomplished. He felt damn proud for how he held himself in front of the nurse. He didn’t lose his cool and he didn’t act like a five year old who didn’t get his way. He was pleased with himself despite the little hiccup where he let slip that he didn’t mind the kiss. He wasn’t really planning on letting Mr. Heichou know that, though Eren doesn’t know if the nurse caught that part at all.

Eren basically jumped out of his desk when the bell rang for the end of the day. He was out of the class and on his way to his locker to grab his backpack and books. On the way there, Armin stopped him to let him know that he was staying after school for his club and wouldn’t be able to walk home with Eren.

“Ah, that’s cool. Have fun!” Eren gave him a smile before turning back to grab the books he needed for his homework. He hurriedly closed his locker and slipped his backpack onto his shoulders. Armin had already left, but before Eren could leave Mikasa stopped him.

“Hey, Eren. I know we haven’t really hung out lately, but I’m going to make it up to you this weekend, I swear.” Mikasa looked frustrated and upset.

“It’s okay, Mikasa. You have to do what you have to do. Frankly, I should be the one working and you should be focusing on school. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Eren pulled her into a hug before giving her a reassuring smile.

Mikasa sighed and nodded her head, “Yeah, okay. And you know I don’t want you working until you’ve finished school. I want you to graduate and you already have a hard enough time with your grades, working would just make it worse.”

Eren grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah. I suck. Well, I’ll see you when you get home. Don’t work too hard, okay?”

 Mikasa gave him a warm smile and hugged him, “Yeah, okay.”

Eren watched his sister leave the school and vowed that he was going to make sure she had some fun this weekend. She deserved a break after constantly being the one taking care of them. He couldn’t wait to graduate and go to work so he could help ease some of the responsibility off her shoulders.

Eren’s didn’t realize he was walking towards the nurse’s office until he ended up in front of the door. Eren looked around to make sure no one was around and mentally kicked himself for letting his feet wander. What was he thinking coming here?

_Well, I’m already here. Might as well see if I can get him to give me a ride._

Eren knocked on the door and opened it when he heard a “come in”. The nurse was on his knees in the floor, scrubbing at a skid mark that someone had left. Eren wondered if he should leave or say something or do both. Before he could decide what to do, a pair of gray eyes focused on him and Mr. Heichou had a questioning look on his face.

“What’s up, brat?”

Eren floundered, something he seemed to do a lot around the other male, and gestured with his thumb pointed to the door, “S-should I leave or something? You look busy.”

Mr. Heichou got up out of the floor and rolled his shoulders before picking up the bucket that smelled like it was full of bleach. He poured it out in the sink and put it back in the supply closet, before turning back around to face Eren, “No, I’m done. Is there something you need? I figured you were smart enough to stay away as much as possible.”

Eren clapped his mouth shut and gritted his teeth, “I was just going to ask if I could have a ride home, but seeing as that would be a stupid thing to ask, I’m just going to leave now.”

Eren turned around to leave the office, anger practically rolling off of his body. He didn’t know what he was thinking coming into this office and thinking the man would give him a ride. The guy didn’t owe him a damn thing and Eren was pretty sure the nurse didn’t give a shit about him other than protecting his own ass.

“Oi, brat. Stop. I’m sorry. I’ll give you a ride home.”

Eren took his hand off the doorknob and turned around to look at the nurse in disbelief. He didn’t expect the nurse to apologize for basically implying Eren was stupid, because technically even Eren thought he was stupid for coming here.

“Look, kid, I don’t have a filter. I just say whatever the fuck comes to my mind and I’m not good with people. Especially not brats.” Mr. Heichou looked uncomfortable and awkward as he said this. Eren was surprised, because he thought the man was just blunt and didn’t care what he said. Now though, Eren realized the guy was just bad with people and this made Eren laugh aloud. The whole situation was comical.

“Yeah, you think? You do know you’re not supposed to cuss in front of students, right?” Eren had to lean against the door as he laughed.

Mr. Heichou grumbled and picked up his wallet and phone off his desk. He walked up to Eren and just stood there looking at him with the most irritated gaze that Eren had ever seen. Once Eren stopped laughing and rubbed at the tears in his eyes, he felt a prod in his aching side. He looked down just as the nurse was withdrawing his hand and putting it in the pocket of his slacks. “Did you ju-“

The man interrupted him, “Are we going to go or are you going to laugh until you shit yourself?”

Eren blinked and held onto the doorknob as another fit of laughter overcame him. He tried to compose himself and started wheezing and coughing before he could get a sentence out, “O-oh my g-god. There is s-something wrong with y-your sense of humor.”

Eren felt a firm hold on his arm and before he could react he was expelled out of the office with a rough push. Mr. Heichou closed the door after them and grabbed onto Eren’s arm again to steer him towards the employee’s parking. “If you don’t stop laughing, I’m going to run you over with my car.”

Eren took in a deep breath and grinned at the nurse. The man was so short and angry looking, Eren almost had to just tell him never mind because Eren wasn’t sure how serious he was about running Eren over. “Alright, alright. I didn’t know your temper was so _short_.”

Eren could have sworn that he was being guarded by a guardian angel, because the look that the nurse gave him should’ve killed him on the spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it's okay. ^^ 
> 
> Any feedback is greatly appreciated! 
> 
> If you have any questions, comment or message on here or message me on tumblr. Whichever works for you.


	7. Chinese and Whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi gets a couple of visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! 
> 
> This update is a bit shorter than the rest, but it's solely Levi's POV. 
> 
> I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has left kudos, comments, and bookmarked this! You guys are awesome and you should pat yourself on the back because you deserve it! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

“What in the hell is that, four eyes?” Levi stared at the brunette outside his apartment door, along with her tall, blond companion. They were both dressed in big, warm jackets and their hands were covered with gloves. The cold air was slipping past them and caressing Levi’s face, sending a chill down his spine, but Levi didn’t let them in. He glanced from Erwin and then back to the brunette with the messy ponytail and glasses. Hanji was holding two brown bags, one that looked like it was about to burst with what seemed like food and another that was small and undoubtedly held some form of alcohol.

“Oh, just a little Chinese food and some good ol’ Jack,” Hanji grinned as she tried to push past him to set the bags down. She got a foot over the threshold before Levi tried to close the door in her face. Instead his attempt was cut short by her foot and a loud yelp.

“Go away. I didn’t say you could come over, eat, and drink. I said you could come over and give Bean a check-up.” Levi glared at her through the crack in the door created by her unmoving foot. Hanji let out a big sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

“But, Le-vi, we barely hang out anymore and Erwin keeps mentioning how it’s been awhile since we’ve all been together.” Hanji tries to smile sweetly at him, but Levi isn’t buying it. He knew exactly what she was trying to do, because she’s done it every time.

“That’s all good and dandy, shitty glasses, but I didn’t invite you over to hang out.” Levi was slowly losing the battle of the door and finally just stepped back, causing Hanji to stumble forward into the apartment.

Erwin stepped into the apartment and gave Levi an unapologetic smile before taking his jacket off and hanging it up on the hooks next to the door. He passed Levi and joined Hanji, who was already in the kitchen getting out plates and silverware.

_Ah, yes. Just make yourselves at home._

Levi closed the door and glared down at Bean, who decided to come see what all of the racket was about. Levi decided that blaming the cat for this intrusion was pointless, so he settled for standing in the kitchen with his arms crossed.

“So, I was thinking we could eat this food, drink a little like old times, and maybe watch some movies.” Hanji grinned at Levi and pulled him into a bear hug, almost effectively squeezing out all of Levi’s organs. Levi groaned in protest and tried to weakly get out of her tight grip.

“Yeah, whatever.” Levi grumbled as she finally released him.

Even though it seems like it, Levi doesn’t hate Hanji at all. He is just the type of person who likes to be alone, because social interactions take up too much energy. Despite knowing how he is, Hanji and Erwin always made a point to hang out with him once a month whether he invited them or not. Even though he acted like it was the worst thing in the world, he was secretly glad that he had such understanding friends who continued to care for him even though he was a bag of dicks.

Levi looked over the menu and had to hold back a smile as he saw all of his favorite items from their favorite Chinese place. Lo Mein, Crab Rangoon, General Tso’s, fried rice, and egg rolls. On top of that, they even remembered to bring him chopsticks. If he wasn’t such a cold asshole, he would’ve given them both a hug. Instead, he just gave an appreciative grunt and started to pile the food onto his plate.

They settled down in his living room in front of his big TV and watched some documentaries about serial killers on the ID channel while silently enjoying their food. The two lovebirds were curled up on his love seat, Hanji leaning against Erwin to the point that she might as well just have crawled into his lap. Levi wondered how Erwin could even eat being so crowded like that, but he figured the blond was used to it by now.

Levi met them both in his junior year of high school when he transferred to their school. Back then Erwin and Hanji were just friends before Levi joined. Petra and her husband, Auruo, became part of the group too, but they didn’t interact with Levi as much as Hanji and Erwin did. The trio was literally inseparable and if someone fucked with any of them, the others would jump in and set that person straight. At that time, Levi learned that not everyone was an asshole and he began to actually trust them with his personal life.

Levi finished his food and offered to take their plates, so that he could make sure they were rinsed off properly. He stood at the kitchen sink, rinsing off the plates, and thinking about the two in the living room. They didn’t get together until the middle of senior year, which didn’t surprise Levi in the least. Erwin was the only one who could actually sit and listen to Hanji rant about animals. Erwin was the only one who could actually retain the information she would throw at them and he was the only one who took her seriously most of the time. Now they were together and nothing could really separate them. The trio all went to different colleges, because of their different fields. Levi attended the best medical school in the area, Hanji the best veterinarian school, and Erwin went to the closest college to Hanji that provided the best Secondary Education degree.  Even though they attended different schools, they still managed to meet once a month to relax and catch up, which usually ended up in some crazy shenanigans caused by Hanji.

“Hey, do you guys want to start drinking this shit?” He called out to the two, leaning out of the kitchen to wave the bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey at them.

“Yes!” Hanji leaped up excitedly and dashed into the kitchen, almost knocking Levi over. She took the bottle from him and grabbed three glasses. He watched as she poured a little into each glass before getting a bottle of Coca Cola out of the fridge and filling the glasses the rest of the way. Levi had a glass shoved into his hand and ushered out of the kitchen by Hanji with her hands full with the other two glasses.

~

After several glasses, Hanji was lying on Erwin’s lap with flushed cheeks. Levi was lying on his couch, his drink resting on his sternum as he listened to Hanji giggling about the past. They had been discussing their college lives and the various things that they did that surprisingly didn’t kill them. Levi grumbled occasionally about how the past should stay in the past for a reason. He didn't need to be reminded of all the stupid things he did.

“Oh my god, Levi, you need to get laid. When was the last time you had sex? Whatever happened to that Nick guy?” Hanji rolled over onto her side, her head still resting in Erwin’s lap, as she looked at him expectantly. Somehow, this topic always came up when Hanji visited. He didn’t understand why she was so obsessed with his sex life, but Erwin would just shrug his shoulders and tell Levi to amuse her curiosity.

Levi rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration, “The last time I had sex is none of your business, four eyes. And Nick broke up with me because he couldn’t handle me being more focused on school than him. I haven’t dated anyone since, before you ask.”

He sat up and finished his drink while looking at his friends. Erwin was playing with Hanji’s hair, much to her delight. She was like a dog being petted and if she had a tail Levi would’ve swore that she’d be wagging it. Sometimes when Levi saw them together, he would catch himself wishing he had someone that would dote on him. Only sometimes, though. Other times he wondered why anyone would put up with another person’s shit.

“So, Leeevi, I heard from Erwin that there’s a boy at the school who seems to have caught your attention.”

Levi snapped his gaze to Erwin, who was smirking a little, and glared at him with the intent to kill. It was bad enough that Erwin knew that Levi showed a little interest in a student, but now Levi would never hear the end of it. Hanji couldn’t seem to let things stay buried.

“Keyword is boy. Just some brat and he hasn’t caught my attention. I just noted that he looked 20 and had nice eyes.” Levi gritted out and gave Erwin the finger, which was ignored.

“Ooooh. The taboo teacher and student relationship. I love those stories the best.” Hanji acted like she was looking off into the distance with awe.

Levi threw a pillow from the couch at her and hit her square in the face, making her let out a loud squeak. “First, I’m a school nurse, not a teacher. Second, there is no fucking relationship. Third, you should really stop reading those fucking manga, you twit.”

Hanji snorted at Levi’s obvious frustration and had to hide behind Erwin to protect herself from the onslaught of throw pillows. Levi finally gave up and took his glass to the kitchen while calling out behind him, “You two can crash here on my bed, because you’re both too drunk to drive. I swear to god if you have sex on my bed, the police will never find your bodies.”

Once the couple left to go to sleep on his bed, Levi flopped onto his couch and groaned. He was going to regret drinking that much in the morning. Good thing it was only a Saturday and he didn’t have to deal with brats until the day after.

Speaking of brats, Levi recalled yesterday when Eren came to the office at the end of the day. He couldn’t figure out if the boy was just plain bold or if he was really that stupid. Hopefully the kid gets the clue and doesn’t continue to come around him, so that rumors don’t get started. That’s the last thing Levi needs, it’s bad enough that he already fucked things up. Plus, if questions start coming up, what if Eren does tell someone about the kiss? Levi would be shit out of luck and that’s why he doesn’t trust anyone nowadays. There would be no benefit for the kid to keep it a secret and if Levi knew people, just about anyone loves getting things in return for secrets.

Levi rubbed at his face to try to get rid of the negativity encompassing his mind. There was no use in stressing about the what ifs right now and Levi wasn’t about to let it ruin a good night. Turning off the TV, Levi curled up on his couch with his favorite fleece blanket and Bean before he let the alcohol-induced sleep claim him.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked the chapter, because I love writing Levi's POV. Lol.
> 
> Anyways, till next chapter~


	8. Bowling and Satan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio go bowling!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update at 3am, woohoo!
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for the kudos and comments! It makes my day. ^^
> 
> So, in case anyone was curious, I sketched the basic layout of Levi's apartment. I posted it up on my tumblr and tagged it with fic: hands clean, if you want to check it out. It was just a quick sketch, because I wanted to show what I picture his apartment to be like as I write. 
> 
> Other than that, I hope you like this chapter~

Eren locked the apartment door behind him while Mikasa and Armin waited in the parking lot. He met them on the sidewalk and they began their trek to the closest bowling alley which was about a fifteen minute walk from the apartment complex. Mikasa and Armin were chatting away about school while Eren just stuffed his hands in his pockets and idly listened. Something about club activities and student council stuff. Eren wasn’t paying particular attention to the details.

Mikasa worked yesterday, so Eren called Armin up last night to make plans for today. They decided to go bowling with the little extra money they did have. Eren was pretty excited to be able to spend time with both of them outside of the apartment, because they hadn’t gone out in a long time. Eren was worried they would rot away in that apartment.

“Eren? Eren!” Mikasa called out to him, breaking him out of his thoughts. Her mouth was set in a firm line, concern written all over her face.

“Sorry, Mikasa. What’s up?” Eren sped up to close the distance between them. He always had a habit of spacing out when he didn’t have anything actively occupying his mind. Mikasa turned back around when he reached the pair and they started their walking back up.

“I was asking how many games you want to play. We don’t have much money, but we have enough for a couple of games.” Mikasa glanced to the side at him to make sure he was still paying attention.

Eren put a finger to his mouth in thought before throwing his arm out in indifference. “I guess two games will be fine, right?”

Armin and Mikasa agreed with him and they continued their walk with idle chit-chat. Eren went back to spacing out, occasionally making the appropriate sound to anything directed towards him. Ever since Friday, Eren couldn’t seem to focus on anything but the school nurse. He would try to distract himself with homework or TV, but he would always end up thinking about Mr. Heichou. The way he spoke, the way he moved, the way his eyes would get that dangerous glint to them, his interesting choice in humor. Eren couldn’t stop thinking about the older male and it was driving him insane. Why was it so hard to not think about that guy?

The trio huddled together against the cold wind, Armin cursing winter while they walked. The area didn’t normally get snow, but it wasn’t adverse to cold rain and strong winds. Eren actually enjoyed the cold and always looked forward to winter break, so that he could go on long walks in it. For some weird reason, he always found it exhilarating. Not to mention the promise of hot chocolate with marshmallows when he would finally get back to the apartment.

They finally reached their destination and hurried into the warm building. They walked up to the front counter while stripping off scarves, gloves, and jackets. A familiar face greeted them from behind the counter. Christa smiled brightly at them with a small wave before leaning up against the counter so that she could hear them over the noise.

“Hey, guys! What can I do for you?” Her cheerful demeanor could almost cure frostbite it was so warm and welcoming.

Mikasa stepped forward first and greeted her, “Hey, Christa! How are you? We’re thinking of playing two games.”

Christa beamed, “Hey, Mikasa. I’m great! Thanks for asking. Well, how about you pay for one game and if you decide to play a second one, just come back to this counter. Does that work?”

Mikasa smiled and nodded her head, “Yeah, that’s perfect. Well I need a size seven. These two,” gesturing to Armin and Eren, “need a size nine and ten.”

Eren grumbled about being able to ask for his own bowling shoes, but Mikasa smacked the back of his head lightly causing Christa to laugh. After retrieving the shoes for them, Christa totaled everything up.

“That’ll be $13.50. You’ll be on lane eight.”

Eren looked around before asking the petite blonde, “Where’s Ymir? She’s usually stuck to you like glue.”

Christa laughed and pointed in the direction of the concession stand, “She’s working with the food today. She was really upset that she couldn’t work up here with me. You should go over and say hi when you get a chance.”

Mikasa paid the total and they headed to their lane with their shoes in hand. It took them a few minutes to decide who was going to go first, but eventually it was decided that Armin would go first, then Mikasa and Eren. Once they found their bowling balls, Eren plopped down on their bench and watched Armin step up to the dots on the alley floor.

The game went smoothly for the most part. Mikasa was in the lead, with Armin in second, and Eren in last place. Eren was becoming a little disgruntled after the third gutter ball in a row until he heard something that completely distracted him from the game.

“Come on, Levi! Just a game or two!” A woman with brown hair in a messy ponytail and glasses was tugging on the arm of the man who has been plaguing Eren’s thoughts. Eren’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the scene.

“Oi, shitty glasses, I spent last night with both of you and even let you sleep in my bed. Why the fuck are you dragging me here?” Mr. Heich-no, wait-Levi was resisting the brunette as their school principle stood behind the nurse with a bemused expression.

“Just a game or two, Levi. It won’t hurt.” Principle Smith chuckled at the disgusted look that appeared on Levi’s face as he took in the state of the building.

Eren watched in fascination as the school nurse stood up straight after the woman let go of his arm and straightened out his black trench coat. Eren doesn’t know why, but he thought that the trench coat, scarf, and leather gloves look suited the man almost perfectly.

_Actually, I bet just about anything looks great on him._

Eren shook his head as if it would get rid of the train of thought and continued to look on at the scene. Levi rolled his eyes at his companions and grumbled causing the female to squeal and approach the front counter.

“Eren!” Eren whipped his head around to face an irritated Mikasa. “It’s your turn, what are you looking at?”

Eren rubbed the back of his head and offered her the most apologetic smile he could muster, “Sorry, Mikasa. It’s nothing.”

He grabbed his bowling ball and aligned himself with the middle dot on the floor. Bringing the ball up to his face, he stared down at the pins before walking forward, swinging his right arm, and releasing the ball.

Strike!

Eren couldn’t believe it as he watched the animated bowling ball on the TV dance in celebration. He turned around to face Armin and Mikasa with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Way to go, Eren!” Armin jumped up and patted him on the back. Eren grinned and made his way back to his seat on their bench. His eyes automatically scanned the building for Levi and found him down a few lanes from their own. What he didn’t expect was for a pair of grey eyes to be staring right back at him. For the second time that day, Eren felt like he couldn’t breathe. His heart was pounding and he began to worry if it was going to escape from his chest by pure force.

The eye contact seemed to have lasted a good while to Eren, but as soon as it happened it was over. Eren watched as Levi began to argue with the brunette female who was enthusiastically gesturing with her hands. Eren decided to go back to focusing on his sister and friend at that point. It wouldn’t do him any good to get caught staring again.

~

Levi threw away the Band-Aid wrapper before telling the student that they were free to go. With an audible sigh, he slid down into his chair and rubbed at his temples in an attempt to get rid of his headache. He didn’t know why Mondays were so damn tiring, but he was glad that there was one more period before school was done for the day. The bell rang for sixth period and caused Levi to silently pray that no one would come into the office for the next hour. He should have known that him praying would be a catalyst, because as soon as he got done the door to the office opened.

_Look who we have here._

Eren Jaeger walked in and made a bee line for the bed without a single word towards Levi. Levi sat there stunned, his mouth hanging open as he watched this kid have a complete disregard for protocol. He watched Eren climb onto the bed and curl up into the fetal position facing away from the rest of the office before Levi closed his mouth with an audible snap.

“Oi, brat. Where are your manners? What are you doing here?”

Levi’s right eyebrow twitched in irritation at the obvious disrespect the teen was showing. After he finally spoke up, Eren turned over to face Levi with a pained expression.

“Sorry. I have a really bad headache. Is it okay if I stay here for sixth period?” Eren grimaced and rubbed at his forehead.

Levi looked away and shrugged his shoulders, “Sure, kid.”

_What the fuck is wrong with me? Why did I give in so easily?_

When he looked back at Eren, the boy had this stupid smile on his face. It was definitely stupid, not blindingly attractive. Levi’s heart didn’t pound in his chest at all, so there is no way it was anything but stupid.  Levi got up quickly and made his way to the supply closet so that he could begin cleaning the room.

“Mr. Heichou, can I have some medicine for this headache?” Eren whined as he rolled back over to face the wall.

“Sorry, kid. Unless you have a prescription for it or written consent, I’m not allowed to give you any medication.”

As Levi replied, he heard Eren groan in complaint and shift his position so he was lying on his stomach. Levi shook his head and almost smirked at the teen’s dramatics. He filled the bucket with bleach and water before carrying it over to the corner of the room by the bed. This was always the corner he started off with because it was less frequently used and he found it less time consuming. He could feel Eren’s eyes on him as he kneeled down with a rag in his hand and began to scrub the floor.

“Do you do this every day?” He could hear the disbelief in Eren’s tone and had to refrain from making a smartass comment.

“Yes, of course.”

Levi heard Eren shift again and he knew it was so the teen could see him better. He thought Eren was done talking, but that thought was quickly destroyed when the teen asked him another question.

“Aren’t the janitors supposed to clean though?”

Levi stopped scrubbing and turned his head to look at Eren, teal colored eyes stared back at him as Eren’s cheeks began to redden with embarrassment at being caught staring. “I told them that they aren’t allowed in here to clean, because I don’t think I would ever be satisfied with their quality of work.”

Levi turned back around and went back to scrubbing the floor underneath him. It was surprising how dirty the floor could get despite the fact that there had only been a handful of people to come and go today. It wasn’t as bad as it has been though, so Levi couldn’t really complain. Eren didn’t say anything for quite a while and Levi was caught off guard by his own thoughts. He wanted the kid to talk to him. For some reason the silence felt entirely too empty and it was making Levi strangely uncomfortable.

“So, who was with you at the bowling alley yesterday? Your girlfriend?” Levi could’ve smacked himself as soon as the words escaped his mouth. Why did he think it would be a good idea to bring up the fact that he had seen Eren yesterday?

He heard Eren chuckle quietly before the teen replied, “No, that was Mikasa. My sister. And my friend, Armin, was there too.”

Levi didn’t comment, because he was still mentally kicking himself for letting his big mouth open up. Why did it matter who was with the teen? Why did he feel like he had been worried that the girl was actually Eren’s girlfriend? When did he start losing his sanity?

“Is your name really Levi?” Eren’s tone held a hint of mischief and Levi’s back tensed up at his name rolling so easily off the boy’s tongue.

“Who the fu-. You must’ve heard Hanji saying it. That loud mouth moron.”

“So it’s really Levi?” Eren’s tone was way too jovial for Levi’s comfort.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to use it freely. I am your superior and you will address me as Mr. Heichou, brat” Levi was becoming undone and he didn’t like the goose bumps that were appearing on his skin as Eren said his name. This situation was getting out of hand and he was just about ready to kick the kid out.

Luckily, he was saved by the bell. Eren sat up while continuing to watch Levi clean. Levi chose to ignore the kid, hoping that he would get the clue and leave. Much to Levi’s relief, Eren hopped off of the bed and made his way to leave. Right before he turned the doorknob, Eren turned around to face Levi, who had been watching the brunette, and gave him a shit-eating grin.

“I hope you have a great rest of the day, Lee-vi.”

The boy ran out of the office before Levi could even get up off the floor. Levi could have sworn he heard laughter as he let out a string of curses before closing the office door and locking it. Levi leaned up against it and closed his eyes while counting down from ten. There must be something causing this. Some form of karma from one of Levi’s past life. Maybe the moon wasn’t in the right position for his sign. Or maybe Satan enjoys watching Levi suffer.

_If that’s the case, Satan can go fuck himself with a big ass tree, Christmas decorations and all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins! 
> 
> A little game of cat and mouse never hurt anyone, right?
> 
> Comments are much appreciated and never hesitate to message me if you have any questions.
> 
> Till next chapter~


	9. Rinse and Repeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more interaction between Eren and Levi. Armin has a date?! Eren's hormones get the best of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. I'm so sorry for the wait.
> 
> I just got done with my last final exam last night, so now I have a whole 3 weeks to do absolutely nothing but read and work on this!
> 
> Okay, so I upped the rating because there's some nsfw stuff at the end of this chapter. And holy shit, I hope I did okay because I've never written anything above PG-13? Ah, I hope I haven't disappointed you guys. If I did, I'm so sorry. ;-;
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

_Yeah, fuck Satan._

Levi would have given the floor below him the middle finger, but he had company and people usually frown on using that kind of gesture in an educational setting. Honestly, Levi could have done it, but he didn’t feel like giving his visitor a reason to open their mouth. It was yet another day ending with Eren fucking Jaeger sitting his happy ass on the bed in Levi’s office. After that first day, the kid kept coming back at the end of the day and would pretend to feel ill so that he didn’t have to attend sixth period. Normally, Levi would have kicked him out by now, but Levi was worried that if he angered the teen it might result in him being fired for kissing a student. Levi would much rather deal with this than go to jail, so he kept quiet.

Levi wanted to know why this kid kept coming back, though. Why was he avoiding sixth period and why did he always sit there with a stupid grin on his stupid face every time? Levi would have asked him, but he didn’t feel like conversing with the brat. Knowing Eren, he’d give Levi some smart ass comment and that would just involve too much effort on Levi’s part to not lose his patience. So instead, Levi is taking his frustration out on a scuff mark that seemed like it decided to take permanent residence on his floor.

“Mr. Heichou, why do you clean so much?”

The kid stopped calling him by his first name after that first time to which Levi was grateful, because he didn’t feel like being charged for assault on a minor. Levi silently cursed his luck before he sat back on his heels so he could look at Eren, “I just appreciate a clean, almost germ-free environment, because it reduces the risk of sickness and disease.”

He watched Eren nod, as if his answer was exactly what Eren expected. The teen went from sitting to lying down on his back, his arms resting behind his head and his eyes closed. Levi took this opportunity to go back to scrubbing the floor. He wanted to hurry up and get out of here as soon as possible so that Eren didn’t have more of an opportunity to badger him with questions.

Levi was almost three-fourths done when he heard the bed sheet crinkle as Eren shifted his body. Levi looked out of the corner of his eye to see what Eren was doing to only catch the boy staring at him intently. Levi quickly looked back to his task, acting as if he didn’t just catch Eren observing him. He heard more movement from Eren’s side of the office, but he didn’t bother looking up. He tried to keep eye contact with the kid at a minimum, because it seemed to invite Eren to strike up conversation and Levi just couldn’t handle the intensity that burned in the kid’s eyes.

He was lost in thought, thinking of Eren’s eyes and how his mind seems to be entirely too obsessed with them. So he didn’t realize that Eren had gotten up and moved to squat next to Levi until the kid spoke up. “Can I help you clean?”

Levi let out a squeak in surprise, albeit a very manly squeak. As manly as a squeak can get, anyway. He had been so startled that he began to fall over, but Eren had quickly grabbed his arm to keep him from busting his head on the cabinet next to them. Levi’s heart was pounding and he looked at Eren with shock. The teen’s eyes were twinkling with what could only be amusement, Levi was sure. Who wouldn’t find it amusing to hear a grown man squeak? Especially one who has a crude sense of humor and seems to have only two emotions, indifference and annoyance. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, Mr. Heichou. I didn’t realize you were so into your cleaning that you didn’t hear me walk up.” Eren’s mouth was slightly turned up, it was apparent he was trying hard not to laugh.

Levi took in a couple of deep breaths to calm his heart, he was too young to be dying of a heart attack just yet. One surprise happened after another when Eren pulled him back up so that they were both back to squatting on the floor, their faces merely inches from each other. Levi’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the teen’s eye burn with a different kind of intensity. As Eren began to inch his face closer, Levi broke eye contact and yanked his arm from the kid’s grasp.

“Make more damn noise next time and don’t get so close. You’re going to give me a heart attack before I reach forty.”

Levi continued to look away, his gaze fixed on a speck on the floor next to him. He heard Eren let out a quiet sigh and stand up with a huff. Levi went back to cleaning in order to distract himself from his thoughts of what just happened. Levi wanted the heat from his cheeks to vanish as soon as possible. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Eren went back to the bed and laid on his side so that he was facing the wall.

Levi got done with his cleaning right as the last bell rang and he picked up the bucket to dump it out as usual. Eren hadn't spoken a word since he went to lie down. Levi almost thought the kid had fallen asleep, but occasionally Eren would shift his position and Levi would see that his eyes were wide open.

As the bell ended, Levi watched Eren get up off the bed and stretch. The teen raised his arms above his head and arched his back a little, causing his shirt to rise and show a little of his midriff. Levi tried hard not to lock away the image of a flat stomach and smooth skin. Levi quickly looked away and pretended to busy himself with organizing the supplies in the cabinets as Eren resumed his normal stance. He heard Eren open the office door and proceed to close it, causing Levi’s heart to pound in confusion.

_Did he really just leave? Why didn’t he say anything? Did I upset him? Why the fuck do I care if he doesn’t say goodbye? Damnit._

Levi rushed to the door to look out and see if Eren had already left. As he swung the door open and turned his head to look down the hallway in the direction of the front doors, he made another manly squeak. Eren was leaning with his shoulder against the wall and looking at Levi with a huge grin on his face and a mischievous glint to his eyes.

“I hope you have a good rest of the day, _Mr. Heichou._ ”

The teen turned his back to Levi and began his walk to the front doors without waiting for a response.

~

Eren was just about giddy as he exited the school and found Armin waiting in their usual meet up spot. The blond gave him a questioning look, but Eren just smiled and shook his head without saying a word. He watched as Armin frowned, but he wasn’t about to tell his friend that he had just got done teasing the school nurse. How well would that conversation go? Yeah, better not.

“So, I have a date with Jean.”

Eren stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at Armin. The blond was looking away from him, his cheeks a bright red and Eren doubted it was because of the cold. “You what?”

He watched Armin take in a deep breath before turning to him and sighing in frustration, “I. Have. A. Date. With Jean. Don’t make me say it again, Eren.”

Eren waved his hands out in front of him, trying to calm his childhood friend down, “Whoa, hey, sorry. I was just making sure I heard you correctly.”

Eren saw Armin roll his eyes before they both started walking again. Eren glanced over to Armin a few minutes later and saw that the blond was looking at him expectantly.

Armin spoke first, “So? Are you going to say anything?”

Eren shrugged his shoulders, “Congrats, I guess. I’m worried about you though. I swear if Jean hurts you, I’m going to kill him.”

Eren gritted his teeth and balled his fists at the thought of seeing Armin crying because of that idiot. He would never forgive Jean if he hurt Armin. Eren knows that Armin deserves the best and he wasn’t quite sure Jean was it but Armin seemed to think so at the moment.

Armin frowned at Eren’s apparent anger. “Eren, calm down. It’s okay. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m not a little kid.”

Eren grumbled in acknowledgement and the subject was dropped. They reached Eren’s apartment complex shortly after and said their goodbyes before Eren headed towards his and Mikasa’s apartment. Mikasa was working again, so he was going to be alone for most of the night. Today was one of those days that he was grateful to have the apartment to himself for a few hours. He needed to unwind and relax without having to worry about holding up a conversation with his sister.

He stepped into the dark entryway and flipped the light on before closing the front door. It was the same old ritual where Eren dumped his backpack on the counter and grabbed a glass of milk before sitting down on the couch. Nothing on TV interested him though, so he decided he was going to grab a shower before diving into his schoolwork.

He ventured to his room to grab a clean pair of boxers and a semi-clean towel. He had used it last night after his shower. No harm, no foul, right? He didn’t feel like going into Mikasa’s room to grab one out of the clean clothes that she had been folding before school. So, he threw the towel over his right shoulder and made his way to the bathroom.

One downside about being in this apartment during winter is the fact that the floors are always freezing. It really sucks when he has to piss in the middle of the night and has to unwrap himself from his warm blanket cocoon to only walk on floors so cold they could give a person frostbite. The floor in the bathroom was cold as usual, but Eren didn’t mind it as much. He slid the shower door open and adjusted the hot and cold knobs to get the right water temperature.

As he waited for the water to heat up, he slipped his t-shirt off and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn’t have a 6 – pack, but he didn’t have a gut either. Eren ran his hand down his stomach, feeling his smooth skin, before dropping his arm to his side and sighing. He needs to work out and define his stomach, because he looks too much a little middle schooler in his opinion.

Eren stripped the rest of the way and felt to make sure the water was at the right temperature before he jumped in. The steaming water poured over his body in the most satisfying way. Eren took in a deep breath, relishing in the feel of the almost scalding water running down his body. He faced the shower head and put his hands on the wall to support himself as he bowed his head into the stream.

As the water soaked through his hair, he began to think about his visit to the nurse’s office. Eren had been going there a lot lately, especially during sixth period. He couldn’t resist the chance to watch Levi zone out as he cleaned. Today was a little different though. Eren hadn’t expected to startle the older male, but when he heard Levi squeak and then when he caught the man from falling over, he realized that he didn’t mind it in the least. The red tint that appeared on Levi’s face was something that Eren had never expected to see so easily. It got him thinking about other ways he could make the man blush.

Eren began imagining the older male beneath him, that red tint covering Levi’s face, ears, and neck. The water muffled Eren’s groan and, God, he was glad Mikasa wasn’t home. He was so hard it was almost painful and at this point he wasn’t going to ignore it. He grasped himself and began to pump with his right hand as his other hand stayed on the shower wall. The water continued to fall over him as he imagined what Levi would sound like while he was under Eren. The thought was enticing and made Eren speed up his pace to the point that the tugging almost hurt.

He imagined pumping into Levi, the older male covering his mouth with the back of his hand as an attempt to muffle the moans trying to escape his lips. Eren groaned even louder at the mental image and could feel the pressure building up as he continued to pump himself. Levi moaning, his hair a mess against the pillow, Levi’s fingers digging into his arms, Levi’s whimpers as he’s about to cum from Eren’s ministrations, Eren’s name escaping  Levi’s mouth between moans as he cums into Eren’s hand. Eren let out a strangled groan as he found his release, grateful for the water that helped wash it away almost immediately. Eren let his right arm dangle by his side as he pressed his forehead to the cool tile of the shower wall, hoping it would cool him off a little despite the hot water beating on his back. He took in several deep breaths, trying to calm his heart down and eventually he was breathing normally.

Eren stood up and let the water run over his face as he let out a groan, albeit a frustrated one.

_What did I just do?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Okay.
> 
> Feedback is much appreciated. Um, my tumblr is hanjisbitch if you want to message me. I track the tag "fic: hands clean". 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	10. Chivalry Isn't Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin and Jean have a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie dokie. First and foremost, THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS AND ALL THE KUDOS. I had a lot of anxiety with the last chapter, because I wasn't sure if it was any good. But I kept getting reviews and messages all with kind words. It made me so happy.
> 
> Second, I'd like to clear something up because there was a bit of a misunderstanding. In the last chapter, Eren fantasizes that Levi is bottom. I just want to emphasize the word "fantasize", because it was solely Eren's fantasy and it did not take in account Levi's personality or preferences. I know some people like Levi to be uke and some like him seme, but in this story it's interchangeable. This is because both Eren and Levi have very strong personalities and I can see them both being uke and seme depending on the mood that is set. I hope this is okay!
> 
> That being said, I am not guaranteeing a lot of smut, because I have never written it and I'm literally scared to death that I will mess it up, lol.
> 
> Now that I've said my share, this chapter is solely JEARMIN. If you don't like the pair, I'm sorry! I will be getting the next chapter out soon hopefully. Maybe even tonight, who knows.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like it~

Armin looked in the mirror one last time to make sure his appearance was acceptable. His heart was pounding behind his black vest and baby blue button up shirt. He ran a hand down his chest, flattening an invisible crease in his vest nervously. He had ironed his slacks earlier and shined his shoes this morning.

_Hair straight? Check. Teeth brushed? Check. Cologne on? Check. Heart still in chest? Check._

Armin took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before expelling it to try to calm down his nerves. Jean should be getting here at any moment and Armin had to make sure he was as composed as possible. He wanted to impress Jean with his ability to stay cool and collected, not look like a nervous mess.

“Armin! Your friend has arrived!”

“Okay, Grandpa!” Armin took another quick glance in the mirror and nodded to himself before heading towards the front of the house. His grandpa was standing in front of the door, looking out the window, when Armin walked up behind him. His grandpa was watching Jean get out of his car and walk up the driveway, while Armin stood back still trying to calm down.

Before Jean could even knock, Armin’s grandpa opened the door and stepped to the side to allow the other teen to step into the house.  Jean crossed over the threshold with a small smile directed at Armin’s grandpa, “Good evening, sir.”

Grandpa accepted Jean’s extended hand in a shake before putting both of his hands in his pockets and addressing the teen, “Good evening, son. I hope you know to bring Armin back before curfew.”

“Grandpa! I’m not a kid.” Armin’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and he was sure Jean was grinning because of how red his face got.

“Fine, fine. Now go have fun and be safe.” His grandpa practically pushed them both out of the front door and effectively closed it with a loud thud. Armin stumbled a little over the first step and Jean caught him by the arm before he could completely embarrass himself.

“Th-thanks.” Armin silently cursed his stuttering and his clumsiness as he righted himself.

“No problem.” Jean gave him a small smile before making his way to the red 2013 Dodge Challenger parked in Armin’s driveway. Armin followed suit and almost opened his mouth to ask Jean what he was doing when he watched Jean walk to the passenger’s side.

Jean was dressed in a simple black dress shirt and gray slacks. He looked handsome without making any effort and Armin didn’t think he could get any more attractive until he saw Jean open the passenger side door and gesture for Armin to get in.  Armin walked around him and felt Jean’s hand land on the small of his back with a little push. Armin slipped into the car and as soon as he was seated comfortably Jean closed the door and jogged to the driver’s side so he could get the car started.

The ride to the restaurant was mostly silent. Just the simple “how was your day” and “how is school” questions thrown out, but Armin mostly just studied the interior of the car while Jean concentrated on driving. Armin was trying to settle his nerves by not staring at Jean, but occasionally he would take a peak when he figured Jean was too focused to notice it.

Once they arrived to the restaurant, Armin was floored at where Jean had decided to take them. Wall Maria was a restaurant you could only get in with a reservation and those were extremely hard to get.

“H-how did you get a reservation here?” Armin stared at Jean in disbelief.

Jean chuckled before nodding his head towards the building, “Don’t worry about it. Come on.”

They entered restaurant and Jean immediately went to the hostess to give her his name. After a minute of conversation that Armin’s ears couldn’t pick up, Jean waved to Armin for him to follow and the hostess led them to a secluded table in the back of the restaurant. As soon as they were both seated, the hostess left to go back to the front after promising them that their waitress would be with them shortly.

Armin took in the surroundings with awe. He began to fidget with nervousness, because he hadn’t prepared himself for anything like this and he was even more self-conscious. Jean seemed to notice his nervousness because he smiled at Armin softly and said, “Hey, I’m nervous too. It’s okay.”

“You’re nervous? The Jean Kirstein?” Armin’s eyebrows rose, effectively disappearing under his bangs.

Jean chuckled at Armin’s obvious surprise and disbelief before shaking his head, “Look, anyone can get nervous around the person they like, right?”

Armin snapped his mouth shut and could feel the heat pooling in his cheeks. This wasn’t happening to him. Jean must be messing with him or something. There’s no way Jean likes him, because Armin is just some geek. Armin looked up to see Jean studying him, which only deepened his blush.

“You look great, Armin. Thank you for coming out with me.”

“Th-thanks, you too. I was surprised that you asked me.” Armin looked to the side, trying to avoid Jean’s gaze as his heart felt like it would pound out of his chest. This was all surreal. The fact that Jean asked him out the other day. The fact that he was sitting across the table from Jean. The fact that Jean just complimented him. If it wasn’t a few days away from Thanksgiving, Armin could have sworn it was Christmas.

The waitress showed up a couple of minutes later to take their orders.

“Armin, do you like lobster and steak?” Jean looked at him expectantly and as soon as Armin nodded his head, Jean ordered for them both, “It’s the best dish in this place. I promise.”

Armin couldn’t wrap his mind around everything that was happening. Here is one of the most popular guys in their school, notorious flirt, and stereotypical rich kid sitting across from him at the fanciest restaurant in a fifty mile radius. Not only that, but their waitress was absolutely stunning yet Jean barely gave her a second glance. This is someone who flirts with just about anyone and loves the attention. Armin felt like he was in one of those cliché romance movies, where the token hot guy falls in love with the geek. Not to say that Jean was falling in love with him, but it reminded Armin too much of those movies. Armin decided to take a drink of his water, hoping to cool his thoughts off with the cold liquid.

“So, you’re in JCL, right?”

Armin almost choked on his water and coughed a little before nodding his head, “Yeah. I help manage the club.”

“That’s cool. So what do you guys do? I never really understood what it was about besides it being something about Latin.”

Armin put his glass down as he grinned, “Oh, well we do a lot of things! There’s a national convention held every year and…”

_Now this is something I have no problem talking about._

~

When Armin was finishing his steak, which was cooked to absolute perfection, he realized that he had been talking the whole time. Jean had barely said anything besides asking a question here or there and this fact made the heat return to Armin’s cheeks. All he did was talk about school and his club on their date, how much more geeky could he get?

“I’m so sorry, Jean. I’ve been talking about myself this whole time.” Armin felt like he was about to cry, he was so embarrassed and ashamed of himself for not trying to get to know Jean.

Jean gave him a reassuring smile, “No, don’t apologize. I like seeing your enthusiasm. I like seeing how excited you get about something, your whole body seems to relax and tense at the same time. I like watching as your eyes sparkle with excitement. And I guess, I secretly love to just listen to you talk.”

Armin looked away in embarrassment, his face, ears, and neck turning a bright red. He couldn’t believe his ears, he must be dreaming or on some kind of hallucinatory drug. “H-how can you say that so easily?”

Jean straightened his posture from where he was resting his arms on the table and shrugged his shoulders in response, “It’s just the truth.”

Shortly after finishing their meals, Jean paid the bill and left a generous tip for the waitress. They walked beside each other to the entrance after getting their coats on, with Jean placing his arm on the small of Armin’s back, his fingers curled around his waist. It only lasted a minute, before Jean pulled away to go open the door for Armin with a slight bow which made Armin snicker.

Jean laughed out right and grabbed Armin’s hand to lead him hurriedly to the car, which made Armin’s heart pound harder than it has so far tonight, if that’s even possible. Armin was sure if it beat any harder or faster, it would break through his ribs and out of his chest. What a great ending to a first date that would be.

They made it to the car and both got in hurriedly, because the wind was beginning to pick up and get colder. The car ride back to Armin’s house was just about the same as the one going to the restaurant, the only difference was that Jean was holding Armin’s hand while he steered with the other. The silence was comfortable much to Armin’s delight. He was soaking in everything that had happened and he got so lost in thought that he didn’t realize they were at his house until he felt Jean let go of his hand to turn off the car.

Jean got out of the car and dashed to Armin’s side to open the door for him, which made Armin smile.

_Who said chivalry is dead?_

Jean walked him up to the front door, holding his hand the whole way up the driveway and stairs.  They stopped in front of the door and Armin turned to face Jean, who was still holding his hand.

“Thank you, Jean. I had a really nice night.” Armin smiled at the other teen, not trying to hide the blush that seemed to find a permanent place on his cheeks.

Jean grinned before covering his mouth with his free hand and turning away with his own blush. Armin couldn’t believe his eyes, yet another surprise tonight. The Jean Kirstein was blushing while holding his hand, in front of his house, after taking him out on a date.

Jean responded with a muffled, “Yeah, me too”, before he took away his hand from his mouth and flashed Armin his trademark smirk. Armin watched as his hand was being lifted to Jean’s mouth and could have sworn that his heart stopped as he felt and watched Jean’s lips brush his knuckles.

“Goodnight, Armin.”

Armin watched as Jean left in his shiny Dodge Challenger before he took in a deep breath and entered his house. Thankfully his grandpa had already retired for the night, the man trusted Armin to be home on time so he didn’t stay up and wait. Armin headed to his room and grabbed his cellphone off his desk.

_Armin: Hey, are you awake?_

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Armin finally got a response.

_Eren: Yeah, what’s up?_

_Armin: Can I call you?_

_Eren: Sure._

It felt like an eternity before Eren finally picked up the phone. Armin could hear some rustling in the background, which he assumed was Eren was shifting his body  to get comfortable.

“So, what’s up? How’d your date go?”

Armin took in a deep breath before responding, “It was amazing, Eren. I don’t think I’ve been this happy in my life. He picked me up and…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is appreciated. You guys are all so lovely and I love you! Thank you for reading!


	11. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some development?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I was aiming to get this chapter out the day after the last chapter, but I caught a cold and literally passed out trying to write this chapter last night. I opened the file today and was like, "Did I seriously write this?" x.x
> 
> Oh man, this fic is at 113 kudos. That makes me so happy, because I never expected to get the feedback that I've gotten for it. ^^
> 
> Anyways, we're back to Levi and Eren. 
> 
> I hope it's okay~

Levi sighed heavily as he slipped into his office chair after getting back from escorting a sick student to the front office. It was that time of year where everyone was getting sick from the weather changes and the cold winds. That student was the sixth one today and Levi was hoping she was the last one until tomorrow. He hadn’t been able to sleep lately, so his nerves were shot.

Eren hadn’t been back to the office since before Thanksgiving break and Levi was left wondering if he had done something wrong. It was making him lose sleep which was pissing him off. He shouldn’t be stressing out about some student not visiting him. Honestly, he should be relieved because now he didn’t have to worry about anyone getting the wrong impression if they saw how much Eren was coming to the office before.

_Keyword being “should”. Yet all I can do is think of that fucking brat. Why is it that I feel like I miss the little shit?_

Levi ran a hand over his face with a groan. Sixth period had already started and Eren would’ve been here by now if he was coming today. So instead of dwelling on the thought, Levi decided to start the one thing that he knew would keep his mind occupied. Some people felt like his cleaning was considered OCD, but Levi begged to differ. Cleaning was like therapy for him. He cleaned the nurse’s office every day, of course, but he normally cleaned when he was feeling any emotion other than happiness or indifference. Some people have art, some have music, and some have exercising. His just happened to be cleaning and he didn’t see anything wrong with that.

He made sure all the files in his desk were straight and ordered properly before he went into the supply closet and grabbed his cleaning supplies. He picked up a bottle of bleach and the bucket, along with some rags. The smell of bleach no longer bothered Levi after repeated exposure. It was like smelling normal day things, like the smell of grass. Dipping a rag into the water and bleach mixture, he began his daily scrub down of the floors.

It was halfway through sixth period when Levi heard the door open to the office. He cursed and got up from his position on his knees and threw the rag into the bucket before turning around to help whoever had barged in.

“Eren?” Levi was stunned as the teen stood in the doorway. Eren’s cheeks were flushed and it looked like he was swaying slightly. Levi called out to him again and the kid’s eyes finally flickered onto Levi with recognition.

“L-Levi, I don’t feel so go-“

Levi barely had time to catch the teen before he collapsed in the doorway. Levi pulled Eren to his chest and repositioned him slightly so that Levi could drag him carefully to the bed.

“Jesus Christ, Eren! You’re burning up!” The boy’s body heat was seeping out in waves and it was almost unbearable. Levi tried to lay him gently on the bed and almost succeeded had the brat’s legs not slipped off. Even so, Eren was passed out and it didn’t seem he was going to be of any help at the moment. Levi checked his temperature and grimaced when it read, “103°F”.

Levi got out a clean cloth and hurried over to the sink to submerge it in cold water. When it was thoroughly soaked, he wrung it out and quickly placed it across Eren’s forehead. The teen let out a quiet whimper at the sudden contact and Levi subconsciously pet the teen’s head as if to comfort him.

“Shh, Eren, it’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” Levi left just long enough to get a cup of water before returning back to Eren’s side. He stroked the kid’s hair again, trying to get him to stir, “Hey, brat, I need you to try to sit up a little so that you can drink this water. You’ve got to stay hydrated.”

Eren let out a groan and weakly tried to use his elbows to prop himself up. Levi helped him halfway, his arm wrapped around Eren’s shoulder as he brought the cup to the teen’s lips. Eren drank loudly, a little of the water trickling down his chin, before collapsing back onto the bed. Levi took a clean rag that he was planning on using earlier and wiped off the extra water on Eren’s face before settling down in his chair to watch while the teen rested.

Every ten minutes Levi would change out the cloth with a fresh one. Eren’s fever was slowly going down to Levi’s relief. It was still high, but not dangerously so. Levi finished his cleaning in record time and by the time the last bell of the day rang, he was ready to leave. Eren was still lying on the bed, but was conscious even if slightly delirious from the fever. He made a move to get up and leave, but Levi rested his hand on the teen’s shoulder to keep him there.

“Don’t get up just yet. Take a few minutes and get up slowly. Do you have anyone who can give you a ride home?”

Eren shook his head mutely and closed his eyes as if the slight movement had made him dizzy. Levi nodded his head, because he had figured that this would be the case.

“Fine, I’m going to drive you home, because you’re in no condition to walk. Do you have medicine at home? Do you have anything for a cold?”

Eren opened his eyes at Levi’s questions and shook his head only slightly this time before responding, “‘S okay, Levi. I can walk home. D-don’t worry about me.”

Levi’s eyebrow twitched at the use of his name, but chalked the slip up to Eren’s fever. Again the teen made as if to get up and leave, but Levi had a hold on his arm and held him in place after the teen had sat up. He wasn’t going to let this brat just waltz out of this school to only pass out on the sidewalk on the way to his apartment.

“No. I’m taking you home and that’s final. Do you have medicine at home and any chicken noodle soup?” Levi made sure to hold Eren’s gaze as he waited for a response.

After a minute, Eren broke eye contact with him and looked to the side before speaking quietly, “We have medicine, I think. No chicken noodle soup.”

Levi let go of the boy and went to grab his phone and wallet off the desk before sliding up next to Eren. He picked up Eren’s arm and draped it around his shoulders while slipping his own arm around the teen’s waist and hoisting him into a standing position. Slowly but surely they made their way to Levi’s car and Levi opened the passenger door with one hand before helping Eren slide into the seat.

Levi stopped at a convenience store on the way to Eren’s apartment and grabbed some medicine and a couple cans of chicken noodle soup. Eren tried to give him money for it on the way to the apartment complex, but Levi just ignored it and eventually Eren gave up.  

When they finally reached Eren’s apartment complex, Levi grabbed the bag of medicine and soup before helping Eren walk up the stairs. When Eren stopped moving, Levi figured they had made it to the right door and gestured for Eren to hand him the key.

“C-can’t get them.” Eren motioned towards the pants pocket that was pressed up against Levi’s hip.

“Lean on me, I’ll get them.” Levi took his arm away from the boy’s waist and reached into the pocket to withdraw the key chain. When Levi looked up, Eren’s whole face was red and Levi quickly put his wrist to the teen’s forehead. “Oi, why did you get red all of the sudden? You scared the shit out of me.”

Eren looked away from him and Levi almost rolled his eyes.

_This damn brat is running a fever, yet his hormones still get the best of him._

After unlocking the door and practically dragging Eren into the apartment, he helped the teen rest on the couch. It seemed no one else was home, which Levi was grateful for. He didn’t want to have to explain why he escorted a student home personally. He made quick work of finding his way around the small kitchen. After a few minutes he had a warm bowl of soup, a tall glass of iced water, and medicine juggled in his arms.

He walked around the couch to find that Eren had rolled onto his back and covered his face with the crook of one of his arms. He nudged the boy’s leg with his foot, “Hey, brat, sit up and take this medicine. You need to eat a little and hydrate some more.”

He watched Eren slowly sit up with a loud groan of protest. Finally, Eren took the bowl of soup from him and the medicine before gesturing for Levi to just leave the glass of water on the coffee table. Levi sat down and waited for Eren to take the medicine and eat some before he made a move to leave.

Well he tried to make a move to leave, but a loud thump of ceramic against wood and a firm grip on his arm caused him to stop. He turned to look at Eren with a raised brow before looking down at the hand that held him. The hand loosened its grip, but Eren didn’t let him go much to Levi’s surprise.

“I, uh, I just wanted to, uh, say thanks for, you know, taking care of me. Y-you didn’t have to do that.” Eren looked away to avoid his intense gaze, Levi was sure.

Levi cleared his throat and looked away as well. He didn’t know why he went out of his way to take care of the brat. I guess those couple of weeks of interaction had the kid grow on him and seeing Eren so ill caused his heart to hammer with worry. Levi ran his fingers through his hair with his free hand before responding.

“Why did you stop coming to the office? Did I do something to upset you?”

Eren whipped his head to stare at Levi in shock. Hell, even Levi was shocked by what had just came out of his mouth. He was walking into dangerous territory and he was letting this brat lead him by the hand.

“N-no. No! You didn’t do anything wrong, it was all my fault. I’m sorry.” Eren looked away again, a red tint appearing on his cheeks.

Levi reached out and grabbed Eren’s chin to force the boy to look at him before running his thumb over one of the teen’s heated cheeks, “Is your fever coming back? Why are you apologizing?”

Maybe it was the fever that caused Eren to lean into Levi’s touch or maybe the brat was just that bold, who knows. Levi tried to withdraw his hand, but Eren clapped his other hand over Levi’s and held it in place.

Levi narrowed his eyes at the action and tried to pull away from Eren, but despite the fever and being sick, Eren’s grip was strong. “Oi, brat, what do you-“

Eren interrupted Levi before he could say anything else and blurted out, “I l-love you, Levi!”

Levi inhaled sharply through his nose at the sudden statement and finally succeeded at wrenching his hand away from the teen’s grasp.

“You’re delusional. Your fever is getting the best of you, so I suggest you sleep for the rest of day and if you’re still feeling like this tomorrow, stay home.”

Eren’s hand that had been on Levi’s arm fell away as Levi stood up from the couch. Levi started to turn to leave when Eren tried to grab his hand again, but Levi had anticipated it and snatched his hand away before the teen had a chance.

“Wait, Levi! It’s not the fever, I swear! Please listen-“

Levi cut him off before he could continue on, “You’re ten years too early to be spouting things about love to me, brat. Have you even considered the fact that you’re not of legal age? What makes you think I would even consider you as a partner? That kiss? That was a mistake and I’m going to regret it till the day I die.”

“I’m 17, I’ll be 18 next year!” Eren protested loudly.

“You’ll still be a student, so no.”

Levi watched as Eren looked away from him and sunk down into the couch. Levi had expected a retort, but all he got in return was silent tears falling from the teen’s eyes. Levi cursed silently and made his way to the door, this time with no interruptions.

Before leaving, he called out to Eren one last time, “Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and take that medicine before you go to sleep.”

With that, Levi left the apartment complex and made his way to the comfort of his car. He didn’t leave immediately. Instead he sat in the parking lot and stared at the door to Eren’s apartment while silently cursing himself. He had realized that he had grown fond of the teen when he started losing sleep over Eren not visiting him.

Despite realizing it, Levi had tried to deny it as much as possible. There is no way he was going to accept these emotions, let alone act on them. Just a few minutes ago temptation was standing at his front door, knocking and hollering for Levi to answer. If Eren hadn’t been sick and feverish, Levi didn’t know if he could have ignored the knocking. Yet Eren wasn’t of sound mind at the moment and even if he had really meant what he said, Levi effectively ruined any hope the kid had.

_He’ll get over it. It’s for the best, anyway._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah. Would this be considered angsty? I dunno.
> 
> Please don't be mad at me, I swear things will work out, because I absolutely love happy endings and fluff. :3
> 
> I just realized this is the longest POV so far. Can you tell that I really enjoy doing Levi's POV?


	12. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU ALL FOR LEAVING SUCH KIND WORDS AND KUDOS. 
> 
> AAAH.
> 
> I'm so happy that people are actually enjoying my fic. It makes me day to get messages on here and tumblr from people saying they like my fic. 
> 
> So, I hope I'm not progressing with the story too quickly? If I am, let me know.  
> Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. ^^;

Mikasa almost became annoying with her incessant worrying as two days passed by without Eren going to school. He had gotten away with the first day, because he really was sick. The second day was a whole different story, though. She figured out that Eren was skipping and she kept asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t budge. He wasn’t about to tell her that he got rejected while he was half delirious with fever and he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her that it was by the school nurse.

The third day rolled around and Eren realized that he needed to go back to school. He was already a little behind in his Chemistry class, because he kept skipping it in order to watch a certain older male clean. That being said, he needed to confront Levi. After two days of thinking back on Levi’s words, Eren knew that Levi was right. Eren was under the age of consent and he was also a student in Levi’s place of work. That’s two things going against them and when Eren calmed down enough to think rationally, he knew that Levi was being perfectly reasonable.

_Though, he should’ve been a bit nicer about it._

Despite knowing that Levi made the rational decision, Eren couldn’t settle for that. So Eren decided to get up extra early in order to get to school in plenty of time before first period started. Eren was hoping that, with Levi’s meticulous nature, the nurse would be there early to make sure everything was as he had left it. If Eren could have just ten minutes of the man’s time then maybe he could clear some things up and maybe even change his mind.

Shouldering his backpack, he grabbed an apple before heading out the door. Mikasa called out to him, but he ignored her question and jogged out to the street before she could catch up. The sky was still a little dark despite the time and Eren almost wished he could enjoy this darkness all the time. It wasn’t so dark that he couldn’t see, but it wasn’t so bright that it blinded him. It was a muted light that was one of the aspects that made Eren love winter so much. The crisp air made Eren snuggle into his jacket instinctually, but it was another reason why Eren loved this season so he straightened up to enjoy the temperature.

When he made it to the school, he detoured to look into the employee’s parking lot. The shiny Nissan Altima was sitting plain as day in the same spot it’s always parked in. The assurance that Levi was indeed at the school already made Eren quicken his pace. The sooner he got to the nurse’s office, the longer he had to talk to Levi.

As he was nearing the wooden door, his pace slowed down considerably. He didn’t know how Levi would react and he was scared that Levi wouldn’t hear him out. Eren’s heart was pounding in his chest and his stomach was twisting into knots from the anxiety to the point that he was worried he would be sick right in the middle of the hallway. Thankfully there was no one around to see his mini panic attack.

Eren stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes in order to get his thoughts under control.

_Okay, I acknowledge my anxiety and my self-doubt. They are very real, valid emotions._

He inhales deeply through his nose before exhaling slowly through his mouth. He used to have panic attacks daily after his mother passed away and had to go to a therapist once a week to work through the grief. One technique that has stuck with him throughout the years was acknowledging his thoughts and then letting them pass. This technique was hard for him to utilize at first, because once a panic attack began it was hard to stop his thoughts from spiraling down into a large hole of negativity. Eventually he got the hang of it and the panic attacks began to come less frequently since then. If only he could have utilized the techniques for controlling his anger more easily.

Eren takes in another deep breath before knocking on the door to the nurse’s office. A muffled “come in” reaches his ears and he takes one last calming breath before opening the door tentatively. He sees Levi as soon as he opens the door and he silently sends thanks to whatever higher power that is out there that Levi is sitting at his desk with his back to the door. Eren closes the door as quietly and quickly as he can and locks the door. At the sound of the lock sliding into place, Levi flinches and turns around to see Eren with is back to the door.

“What the fuck are you doing, Jaeger?”

Eren notes the hint of anger in Levi’s voice, but chooses to ignore it, “I need to talk to you.”

“What about?” Levi’s response is cold and calculated. Eren knew that Levi knew exactly what he wanted to talk about.

“The other day.”

“What about the other day, Jaeger?” Eren watched as the muscle in Levi’s jaw jump as he spoke.

“You know what I’m talking about, Levi.” Levi’s eyebrow twitched at Eren’s audacity to call him by his first name.

“I believe I already said what I needed to.”

Eren nodded his head and folded his arms across his chest before responding, “Yeah, but I didn’t get a chance to say what I needed to and I’ve been avoiding school because of it.”

Eren watched as Levi slouched into his office chair and folded his hands over his stomach. “I don’t see why that’s my problem.”

Eren could feel his impatience begin to grow as Levi brushed him off. This man couldn’t begin to understand how much he affects Eren in the least. Here he was looking like he could give a shit less that Eren had confessed to him just a couple of days ago. Or that he made Eren cry his eyes out with his harsh rejection. Eren almost decided that it wasn’t even worth getting his heart broken a second time.

_Almost._

That wasn’t like Eren at all, though. He wasn’t the type to just give up because the road got a little bumpy. No, he was one of those maniacs that dive right into something over and over until he got the results he wanted.

“Look, I’m going to say what I need to say and then I’ll leave you alone for good.”

Levi’s eyebrows rose and a hint of a slight curve to his lips appeared for a brief second before he nodded his head and waved his arm out in front of him as if to say that Eren had the floor.

“The other day I told you something while I was out of it. I only remember bits and pieces of before getting to the apartment, but that conversation we had is clear as day. I want to clear something up.”

Levi nods his head again, indicating that Eren should continue. Eren takes in a huge breath and lets it out slowly before continuing.

“I don’t love you. No, wait, let me finish,” Eren raises his hand motioning for Levi to stop before any sound could come out of the older male’s mouth, “I don’t love you, but I do like you. I’ve never loved someone and I honestly don’t know what love is, but I know for sure that I like you. I understand why you rejected me the other day. I understand why you’re probably going to reject me today, but I just wanted to clear things up while I’m healthy so that you can’t chalk it up to me being sick. And for god’s sake, I’m not 5 years old. I’m 17, going on 18 in a few months and I know the difference between admiration and infatuation.”

Eren watches Levi’s mouth close with a click and Eren prays that this next part will go just as smoothly.

“Levi, I like you a lot. I understand age of consent and I understand how unprofessional it’d be to date a student while you worked here. That being said, I want to know that if those factors weren’t into play, would you even consider giving me a shot?”

Eren continues to silently pray as he watches Levi’s lips press into a thin line. Neither of them says a word for a few minutes and Eren begins to panic because he’s running out of time.

“The fact is that those factors are into play, Jaeger. If they weren’t, then maybe I would give you a shot. But this is the real world and laws are laws for a reason, no matter how much you don’t like it.”

This was the answer Eren expected and he pushed himself off the door to walk and stand in front of Levi. Levi looked up at him and instead of continuing to tower over the older male, Eren squatted down to look up at him. Eren was going to be bold and he was going to be forward, because he had nothing left to lose.

“What if I said that I know a way to work around those things? Would you be willing to work with me?”

~

Levi peered down at the teen and watched the resolve and hope shine through those captivating eyes. Eren had shown him a surprising amount of maturity in the past few minutes and Levi couldn’t handle it. How dare this teen get the best of him? How dare he stand there so confident and so understanding and so fucking irresistible while Levi’s inner demons have been trying to eat away at him for the past few weeks. It wasn’t fucking fair.

“How would we work around the law?” Levi gave the boy an incredulous stare, but it didn’t seem to damper Eren’s spirit.

“Age of consent is solely about having sexual interactions, right?” Levi watched Eren blush and look away for a brief second before facing him again with that intense stare. “Who’s to say that we’re even going to be doing anything like that before I turn 18? And I graduate in a little over a year, and then you wouldn’t have to worry about your job. I mean, we could keep it on the down low and no one will ever know?”

_This brat._

“So let me get this straight. You want me to be in a relationship with you, forgo sex until you’re 18, and hide the fact that I have a relationship with a student for a year and a half? What makes you think that I want a relationship with you in the first place?”

The teen became flustered and looked away once again, “I thought you said you would give me a shot. Doesn’t that mean you like me too? Then there’s the kiss and the way you act around me, I just assumed…”

Levi swore as he remembered that he had indeed kissed the teen and Eren was obviously not going to chalk it up to Levi being tired or some stupid excuse like that. Levi leaned forward and grasped Eren’s jaw making Eren turn to look at him with huge, sea-green eyes. “You know what they say about assuming, right? I might like you, kid, but you’re still a kid. I don’t know why you would like an old geezer like me and I don’t know if you honestly know the difference between admiration and infatuation. Do you really know what you’re asking of me?”

Levi observed Eren as he processed everything that Levi had just said. The boy took a few minutes before responding and Levi was glad that he wasn’t taking all day because the bell for first period was going to ring shortly. Levi did not want to wait all day to get an answer and all the sudden he felt like he was the one who just confessed and was waiting to see if he would be rejected. How did things turn out like this? Why is that every time he interacted with Eren things always got all confused and backwards?

“I completely understand what I’m asking of you. I’ve had a couple of days to think about it and I know that I truly want what I’m asking. I’ve actually never wanted something this badly in a long time.”

Levi searches Eren eyes to see if there is even a hint of a lie, but all he sees is determination and honesty.

_I thought I escaped temptation. I thought that I had put an end to this the other day and that there was no way he would even come near me again. Now here he is, being all mature and shit. How do I ignore this when what I want is being handed to me on a silver platter?_

Levi shuts off his internal dialogue without a second thought and leans forward in his chair. Eren looks at him with a bewildered expression, but Levi keeps a firm grasp on his jaw. Levi’s lips were hovering over Eren’s and before he closed the distance between them, Levi let out a low chuckle and took note of the shiver that passed through Eren’s body as Levi’s breath caressed the boy’s lips.

“Yeah, me too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope it's okay.
> 
> It's actually almost 4am here and I kept nodding off when I was trying to edit this chapter, so I hope everything is okay. 
> 
> I just really wanted to get this chapter out before I got busy with Christmas and family stuff. Anyway, till next chapter~


	13. Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levimas special!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is hella long. Like twice what my normal chapters are.
> 
> I wrote most of this chapter today, on Christmas, because I wanted to get it done before midnight as like some kind of Christmas present to you guys. Simply because all of you are awesome and deserve some Eren and Levi in your day. 
> 
> I hope you guys like it, because I worked really hard on it. 
> 
> Thank you for all the bookmarks, kudos, comments!!! I love them and I love you guys for reading my fic. ^^

Eren stopped from pinching himself after he woke up in the morning. He still couldn’t believe he was dating Levi, despite two weeks having passed. It was surreal and he was just waiting to wake up from a coma or something else equally plausible. The past two weeks have been a trial of sorts. Even though Levi had finally accepted him, they had a lot of things they had to work out. First and foremost were the rules that needed to be set in order for everything to sail smoothly. Eren could recall the conversation as if it was happening right at this moment.

_“Okay, before we do anything. Rules. We need a set of rules,” Levi drummed his fingers against his steering wheel as he addressed Eren, “First of all, we are not having sex until you are 18. No matter how much you tempt me.”_

_Eren grimaced and made a move to object, but Levi held up his right hand to silence him, “No. I’m sorry, Eren, but if we’re doing this we need to be careful. And don’t look at me like that, it’s not like you’re the only one suffering. It’s only 3 months away, we can wait.”_

_Eren slouched into his seat, but realized he was acting like a little kid who wasn’t getting his way. So he straightened his posture and nodded his head, even though Levi couldn’t see it._

_“Yeah, I understand. What other rules do we need?”_

_Levi glanced over at him, before going back to paying attention to the road, “You can’t skip classes constantly just to see me. If you’re really sick, then that’s fine. But you need to focus on school, so that you’re not repeating a year. That’s rule number two. Number three, you cannot tell anyone about us. I don’t care if they are your dying relative, don’t tell a soul. The less people who know, the better. That being said, I’m going to warn you that Erwin is probably going to figure it out.”_

_Eren’s confusion must have been written all over his face, because as soon as Levi looked over at him the older male let out a sigh before Eren could say anything._

_“Why would Principal Smith figure it out?”_

_The look of praise Levi gave him went straight to his cock and Eren had to glance away so that he didn’t have to get out of the car sporting a full erection. Though the way Levi practically purred kind of defeated that purpose, “Look at you. Sharp as a tack when you want to be. I didn’t think you paid enough attention in school to pick up his first name.”_

_Eren shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare out the window to avoid any side glances Levi might give him, “That doesn’t answer my question, though. Why would he figure it out?”_

_He took a chance to glance over at Levi and saw the older male biting at his lower lip in concentration. Eren didn’t know if it was because Levi was trying to tiptoe around the subject or because he was concentrating on the road, so he just waited patiently for a response._

_“We have been best friends since high school. He knows me very well and it’s hard to get anything past him.”_

_A strange tightening in Eren’s chest made him frown. The fact that he was getting jealous because Principal Smith-no, Erwin, knew Levi so well unnerved him. He didn’t know why he thought that he had any right to be jealous. They had been friends for a long time and Levi obviously trusted the other man. Plus, Eren had just won Levi over only a few hours ago. It wasn’t his place to be feeling this insecure and jealous._

_Levi must have saw the emotions running across his face or maybe the fact that he was frowning gave it away, because he chuckled quietly, “Calm down, Eren. He’s very much straight and happily taken.”_

_Just like that, the breath rushed out of Eren’s mouth before he even realized he was holding it. He silently beat himself up for being so childish right off the bat. Now that everything was cleared up, Eren began to chew at his own lip as anxiety set in._

_“Will he do anything if he finds out? I mean, he is my principal and this relationship isn’t exactly allowed.”_

_Levi started to drum his fingers against the steering wheel again and Eren began to wonder if this was a nervous habit of his whenever he wasn’t sure about something. They were pulling into Eren’s apartment complex before Levi started to talk again._

_“Honestly, I don’t know.”_

_Eren frowned at Levi’s answer and folded his hands in his lap as he thought about everything that has been said so far, “…So, are there anymore rules?”_

_Levi had parked the car in front of Eren’s apartment and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling of the car, “Yeah, I can’t pick you up for school or drop you off afterwards.”_

_This time Eren pouted, because he enjoyed the car rides. It was the only place that they could really talk freely and not have to worry about anyone walking in on them. Levi must’ve seen the pout, because a hand came to gently grab his jaw. It was just like this morning when Levi made Eren look at him and the subtle amount of control Levi would use caused a shiver of excitement run down Eren’s spine._

_“Hey, no pouting. I can do it here and there, but it’ll be rare. Someone already saw me with you in the car the first time I took you home and called Erwin about it. So, we’ve got to be careful that it’s not too frequent. I’ve already been taking a huge risk lately.”_

_Eren grew even more worried at this new piece of information. Someone already saw them together? What if someone sees them again and it causes Levi to get in trouble? Why was Levi agreeing to this when there was so much risk to it? Eren is just a brat, why would Levi go to this extent that he’s willing to risk his job?_

_Once again Levi must’ve seen the anxiety and panic rising up in Eren, because he leaned over to bring their faces together, their forehead touching and their breath mingling._

_“Hey, calm down. You’re not thinking of backing out now, are you? You came barging into my office, demanding answers and breaking my resolve. Don’t think you can just back out now because you’re scared about something trivial, like me losing my job. I’ve already accepted that it might happen and that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”_

_Eren looked away from Levi’s intense stare as best he could with their faces so close together, “Why would you willingly lose your job for me?”_

_Levi’s grip on his face tightened, “Oi, look at me, brat. Who says I’m going to lose my job? Yeah, there’s a risk, but we’re not going to let it happen. So, stop panicking. Yeah?”_

_Eren nodded his head as best as he could and was rewarded with a tiny smile from the usually expressionless male. Levi purred a “good” before giving Eren a light kiss and releasing his jaw. Eren went to try to deepen the kiss, but Levi leaned back and chuckled._

_“Slow down, tiger. We’re in the parking lot in front of your apartment. Not exactly the best place to start making out if we don’t want to get caught.”_

_Eren groaned in frustration and rubbed a hand over his face, which only made Levi chuckle some more. Eren decided he really liked the sound, even if it was at his expense usually. It was deep and quiet, a soft vibration of sound that warmed his heart in ways that he didn’t think possible._

_“Hey, Eren, give me your phone.”_

_Eren looked at him confused and wrestled his phone out of his pocket to hand it over. Levi snatched it up and started typing something into it, “Here’s my number, text or call me. Whichever. We won’t be able to talk or see each other as much during school, so this should do until the weekends.”_

_When Levi went to hand Eren the phone back, Eren grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a kiss. It was more heated than the one Levi had given him earlier and Eren swiped his tongue across Levi’s lips trying to gain entrance, but Levi pulled away with a mischievous glint in his eyes._

_“What’d I say about making out in the parking lot? Get out of here and get in that apartment, you’re wasting my gas.”_

_Eren would’ve been slightly upset about how quickly Levi was kicking him out, but the small smirk and teasing tone in the older male’s voice made Eren grin. He stole one more kiss before unwillingly leaving the comfort of his boyfriend’s car._

Eren grinned at the memory and stretched in his bed with a satisfied groan.

_My boyfriend. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to saying that._

Eren’s mood improved even more, if that was possible, when he remembered that today was the last day of school before Christmas break. This meant they could see each other whenever they wanted to and if that didn’t brighten Eren’s mood considerably then he didn’t know what would. He hurriedly got ready and dashed out the door before Mikasa was even out of the shower. 

He arrived at the school way before the majority of the student population. Today was only a half day, so he wanted to see Levi before the end of school because he wasn’t sure when they could see each other again. Eren had figured out that Levi always arrived at school way too early, so he had been trying to get up early each day just to see him. Most days he did pretty well, but sometimes he was just too tired to even get out of bed that early in the morning. Those days he usually beat himself up when he did eventually wake up and he would apologize to Levi, who in turn laughed at him for being ridiculous. According to Levi, teenagers need a lot of sleep so he didn’t blame Eren for sleeping in.

“Le-vi.”

His boyfriend was leaning over the desk, trying to sort papers when Eren came in. At the sound of his voice, Levi turned around with a small smile, “Hey, brat. You’re pretty chipper for this time of day.”

Eren grinned and wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist, pulling him into a tight embrace. He pressed his nose into Levi’s hair in a sort of affectionate nuzzle and got a good whiff of his shampoo, it should be illegal how good this man smells.

“Oi, what are you a dog? Stop sniffing me.”

Eren was glad Levi couldn’t see his face and how red it got from being caught in the act. He squeezed a little, before stepping back and giving Levi a sheepish grin.

“So, what are you doing today? Can we see each other after school lets out?”

Eren was hopeful that they could start spending more time together as soon as possible, but he frowned when Levi gave him an apologetic smile, “I can’t. I’ve got some end of the year stuff to do.”

Eren nodded his head in understanding, it’s not like they didn’t have three weeks to spend time together. Despite understanding that Levi’s job comes first, he let out a little sigh and smiled at Levi. The other male was dressed as sharp as ever. This time he was wearing a plain white button up shirt under his lab coat. Eren couldn’t wait to see him in something casual, even though he was pretty sure Levi would look great in just about anything.

Eren on the other hand was as fashionable as a pig. He mostly dressed in band tees that he found at Goodwill or just plain shirts, along with jeans that were usually a little too big on him. He didn’t mind his lack of fashion sense, because they were poor and he wouldn’t want to waste money on name brand clothing.

“Hey, Eren, what are you doing for Christmas?”

The question brought Eren out of his thoughts and he gave Levi a surprised look, “Uh, Armin’s granddad always invites me and Mikasa over for Christmas. They’re like a second family. Why?”

Levi looked away from him and ran his index finger around in circles on the surface of the desk, “Would you want to come see me afterwards?”

A grin spread slowly across Eren’s lips and he was sure his eyes were sparkling with amusement, “Why wouldn’t I? It’s your birthday after all, on top of Christmas.”

Levi’s head snapped to look at him and Eren had to suppress a laugh at the startled expression.

“How did you know it was my birthday? I don’t remember telling you.”

Eren chuckled, putting his hands behind his back, and looking everywhere but at Levi, “Oooh. I don’t know. I might have seen your driver’s license and I might have seen your birthday on it.”

“You little shit.”

Eren looked at Levi to see if he was mad, but he was surprised at the small smile that was on the older male’s face. “So, what are we going to do on your birthday?”

“You’ll just have to find out and I’m not telling you, because you’re a sneaky little shit.”

~

Christmas day came and they were spending most of the day at Armin’s house. His grandpa treated Eren and Mikasa as if they were his own grandkids and their house was like a second home to Eren. They exchanged gifts early in the morning. Eren couldn’t give anyone any presents, because he didn’t have a job. It really brought him down and made him want to beg Mikasa to let him work too. No matter what he said, she was firm on her decision to not let him get a job until after high school though.

Now they were enjoying some food. A turkey, some ham, stuffing, corn, and cheesecake for dessert. Eren usually dug into the food and didn’t hold back, because he wasn’t one to waste food. However, Levi texted him this morning after Eren wished him a happy birthday and told Eren to save his appetite for tonight. So, Eren was eating lightly, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Say, Eren, are you going on a diet?” Armin raised an eyebrow at his plate that was barely half full.

“No, just saving my appetite.”

At that response, Mikasa gave him a sharp look, “Why?”

Eren gave Mikasa an apologetic smile and shoveled some stuffing into his mouth to give him a few seconds to figure out how to tell her that he was going out without making her worry.

“I promised a friend I would hang out tonight. Is that okay?”

Mikasa blushed and let out a sigh, “Yeah, that’s perfect actually. I forgot to tell you that Annie invited me out tonight, so you don’t have to worry about leaving me behind.”

Armin clapped his hands together and gave them all a big smile, “That’s great! We’ve all got dates tonight, so no one is lonely. Jean asked me out tonight too.”

Mikasa blushed and mumbled something about it not being a date and Eren just smiled at Armin’s obvious happiness. Ever since Jean asked Armin out, his friend was nothing but smiles. It was good to see Armin so happy, even though it was because of that horse face.

They went back to finishing their food and chatted about small things, while Eren tried his hardest to not bounce in his chair out of pure excitement for what was coming.

~

Levi paced around in his apartment, waiting for a text from Eren that said the boy was ready for Levi to pick him up. Levi had already fixed everything and the table was set for two. All he needed now was that cute ass sitting in the chair across from him. His phone vibrated in his hand and he could have sworn his heart jumped in his chest. He looked down at the phone.

_Eren: I’m ready. Meeting at the convenience store, right?_

_Levi: Yeah, I’ll be there in 10 minutes. Don’t be late._

Levi grabbed his keys, wallet, and threw on his trench coat before leaving the apartment and locking up.

The car ride there was relatively uneventful, besides the occasional expletive because some asshole wanted to cut him off. He rode in silence, though he was sure music would have helped him calm his nerves.

When he pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store, he had to remember to breathe. Eren was standing outside the store, huddled into his forest green winter jacket and his hands jammed into his pockets. All Levi could see were those startling teal-green eyes and his messy brown hair. The boy was stunning without even trying. Levi didn’t know when he became so enraptured, but sure enough he was sucked into the teen’s life force. Every thought he had somehow consisted of Eren. Levi couldn’t even imagine his life without him now and he was just waiting for something to come along and destroy this little bit of happiness.  

Levi watched as Eren recognized his car and straightened up his stance so that Levi could see the grin that was spread across the teen’s face. Eren jogged to the passenger side and quickly climbed in, his teeth chattering as he buckled himself.

“Hey, it’s good to see you. Man, it’s cold as balls out there.” Eren let out a laugh through his chattering teeth and it made Levi smile.

“Hey, sorry for making you wait. Let’s get you back to my place, so you can warm up.”

The ride back was just as silent and comfortable. They both kept quiet as Levi drove them to his apartment. Eren let out a whistle as they pulled into the parking lot.

“Wow, I didn’t know you lived in such a nice place. How can you afford that on a school nurse’s salary?”

Levi glanced over at Eren to see the teen staring in awe at the huge building. As Levi pulled into his designated parking spot, he shrugged his shoulders in response to Eren’s question, “I have my ways.”

Eren looked at him questioningly, but Levi didn’t say another word. This wasn’t the time to have a conversation about his finances and he knew that Eren took the hint because the boy slid out of the car as Levi turned it off.

Levi took a hold of Eren’s hand and pulled him along into the lobby, nodding to the security guard before heading for the elevator. They travelled up to the eighth floor much to Eren’s amazement. Levi had to suppress a chuckle at Eren’s obvious excitement; it was like taking a kid to a new place. When they finally reached Levi’s apartment, he moved in front of Eren so that he could properly invite him in. He opened the door and made a sweeping gesture, “Welcome to my humble abode.”

Eren stepped in hesitantly and looked around silently as if he was taking everything in and storing the information for later.

“I like it. It feels like you.”

Levi perked a brow and smirked, that comment wasn’t something he had expected but it was nice to hear, “Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Before Eren could venture too far, Levi took the lead and stripped off his jacket and then Eren’s before hanging them up on the hook beside the door.

“Now,” He pulled a long black cloth out of his pocket, “turn around and be still.”

Eren began to protest, but Levi stood up on his tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, “Please?”

Levi had to stop himself from laughing, because the immediate obedience that he got out of Eren was amusing if not slightly alluring. He kind of liked how much he could manipulate the teen to do what he wanted, though sometimes Eren proved that he wasn’t just some puppet who would follow every command. Levi had to admit that stubborn aspect of Eren was also arousing and he realized that just about anything Eren did attracted Levi’s attention.

After Eren obediently turned around, Levi brought the cloth over his head and wrapped it around the boy’s eyes. Eren tensed up at first with the loss of his sight, but Levi rubbed the boy’s shoulders reassuringly.

“Um, Levi, why is this necessary?”

Levi chuckled, “Because it is. Now, let me lead you.”

He took ahold of Eren’s hand once more and led him to the dining table. He pulled out the seat and moved Eren so that he could push him down into it. Eren, so far, was very compliant if not a little clumsy. Levi smiled as he watched Eren look around, as if moving his head would help him get a handle as to what was going on.

“Wait right here and don’t take that blindfold off, okay?”

As Eren nodded in understanding, Levi left to go get the food and drinks. He brought them to the table, gently placing the plates in their respective places. He lit the candles that were set in the middle of the table and poured both of them a little wine before sitting down and watching Eren.

If he thought the boy was stunning bundled up in a jacket while standing outside, he was breathtaking now. He wore a simple red sweater that hugged his body in all the right places. Levi studied the way he was biting his bottom lip and bouncing in his seat, with what Levi could only guess was nervousness or excitement. This boy would be the death of him.

“Okay, you can take it off now.”

Eren hurriedly ripped the blindfold off and gasped at the sight in front of him.

“Wow, Levi, this is amazing. Did you cook this yourself? What is it?”

Levi had to stop himself from grinning at the bombardment of questions and instead soaked in the sparkle of excitement in those mesmerizing eyes. He really could drown in those eyes and he wouldn’t mind it in the least.

“Thank you. Yes, I did. It’s bouillabaisse.”

Eren frowned at the foreign word and looked at Levi questioningly, “What is that? French?”

“Oui.”

Eren’s brows rose into his bangs, “Are you French?”

“Oui.”

Eren smiled at him, causing Levi to remind himself to breathe, “I didn’t know that. Learn something new every day.”

Levi hummed in agreement and gave Eren a small smile, “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

~

Eren savored ever last bite of the dish. Not just because Levi took the time to cook it, but because, holy shit, it was delicious. Eren teased Levi for giving him alcohol, but Levi just shrugged and commented that it was his birthday and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. The comment went straight to Eren’s crotch, but he was sure that Levi hadn’t meant it in that way.

When they were done with dinner, they cleaned up the mess before going to settle on the couch and watch movies. Eren curled up beside Levi as close as he could and silently cheered when Levi wrapped his arm around Eren’s shoulders. It was halfway through the movie and Eren hadn’t paid attention at all. He was too busy soaking up every little detail of Levi that he could. The older male was dressed in a dark grey sweater that looked two sizes too big and black fleece pajama pants that he had changed into after dinner. They hung dangerously low on Levi’s hips and it didn’t help Eren in the least.

Eren decided he was going to be bold, because why the hell not. He turned his head to look up at Levi, who was very interested in the movie. He moved his lips across the expanse of neck that was exposed to him, but just barely so that Levi could only really feel Eren’s breath across his skin. He had to stop himself from grinning as he noticed Levi tensing and his breathing slowing down. He began to kiss his way up Levi’s neck to his jaw, nibbling here and there. Levi’s breath hitched at Eren’s administrations and Eren chuckled quietly against the smooth skin under his lips.

“Eren…”

There was a slight warning in the tone of Levi’s voice, but Eren knew it wasn’t because he was mad. Oh no, it was definitely not because he was mad. He knew how much Levi wanted him, it had been obvious the past couple of weeks. No, the warning was probably because of the rule they had agreed to and the fact that it took literally every ounce of strength Levi had to not go further.

Eren kissed underneath Levi’s ear before whispering, “Le-vi.”

Before Eren knew it, Levi had him flipped over onto the couch, the breath knocked out of him at the sudden impact. Levi quickly took the lead, claiming Eren’s lips with a fierceness that stole Eren’s breath. Their lips meshed together perfectly and Levi’s tongue swiped across Eren’s making him shudder into the kiss. Eren grabbed ahold of Levi’s waist and tried to push Levi’s hips down into his to get some kind of friction and relieve the sudden tightening in his pants. Levi growled into the kiss and slipped his hand under Eren’s ass, grabbing it possessively.

They grinded against each other, both letting out moans before Eren groaned in frustration with need for more. He needed more. He needed Levi like he needed air to breathe. He was desperate to get this ball rolling, but he knew Levi wouldn’t let it go further than this. Eren gasped suddenly as he felt Levi’s hand grab his erection through the material of his jeans.

“L-Levi.”

Levi began to kiss his way down Eren’s neck, sending shivers down Eren’s body, “Hmm?”

Eren couldn’t respond, because Levi began to rub his hand firmly against Eren’s throbbing member and all Eren could do was moan and arch into his touch. His hand reflexively found its way into the soft strands of Levi’s hair. Eren gripped his hair while Levi began to take the skin on Eren’s shoulders between his lips and suck and nibble on it. Eren was panting and the fire in the lower half of his body was building up before he knew it.

“L-Levi. I’m about to-“

Levi chuckled against Eren’s skin and replaced his hand with his hips, swiveling them into him to give Eren even more friction. “Go ahead, Eren, come for me.”

Eren moaned and felt his hips jerk as he finally found his release. Levi continued to kiss up and down his neck while Eren rode out the wave of pleasure. When Eren finally relaxed and slumped back into the couch in bliss, Levi got up and walked to his bedroom before coming back out with a change of clothes and a damp cloth.

“Here, clean up and change into these. You’re spending the night right?”

Eren sat up quickly and looked at Levi in confusion, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“D-don’t you need me to help you, y-you know?”

Levi gave him a reassuring smile and handed him the items, “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Now hurry up and get clean, I don’t want you getting anything on my couch.”

Eren blushed and slid off the couch so he could head to the bathroom. Before he could get too far, he felt a quick pop on his ass and squeaked, which made Levi laugh. Eren turned just enough to stick his tongue out at the older male before hurrying into the bathroom to get changed and cleaned up.

When he came back out, Levi was lying on the couch with his arms up behind his head. Eren slid into the little space beside him and rested his head on Levi’s chest.

“All better?” Levi began to play with his hair and Eren had to keep himself from purring in contentment.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

Eren listened to the vibration in Levi’s chest as he chuckled and confirmed that it was a sound he would never get tired of hearing. Eren began to fall asleep in Levi’s arms, his leg draped over Levi’s waist and his arm hugging him back.

 Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he felt Levi trace his jaw with a finger before he spoke, “You’re such a little shit. But god damn, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> If you have any comments or questions, just comment on here or message me on my tumblr (hanjisbitch). 
> 
> I do track the tag "fic: hands clean" and I tag anything to do with the fic with that if you want to know about any updates or whatnot. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a great one and if you don't celebrate it, I hope you had just as awesome a day!


	14. Happy New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren's first New Year's. Fluffy fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> Thank you for all the sweet comments, it really makes my day that people like my fic. ^^
> 
> Sorry that it took me awhile to update, I was suffering from some bad writer's block due to all the drama with the fandom right now. But I swore that I was going to get this chapter out for New Year's. Plus, I wanted give everyone fluff to start off the New Year. 
> 
> Anyway, I feel like this chapter is half text messages, sorry. ;-; I hope you like it~

 

Levi twirled a lock of Eren’s hair between his fingers absently while the teen leaned back into his lap. They had spent most of the day just lazing about and watching TV while they talked. They talked about their favorite movies; Eren’s was Pacific Rim at the moment. Something about the fact that there were robots called Jaegers. They talked about music and favorite foods. Eren’s favorite color is green. After a while, they settled into a comfortable silence and Levi was content.

“Hey, Eren.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you have planned for tomorrow? It’s New Year’s Eve.”

Levi looked down when he felt Eren’s head tilt back and searched those teal-green eyes that were staring up at him questioningly.

“I don’t know. What do you have planned?”

Levi could hear the hesitation in Eren’s voice and it made him bite his lip in guilt before he responded, “Erwin and Hanji are coming over.”

He could feel Eren tense up and watched as the boy turned his head away while a soft “oh” escaped his lips.

“I’m sorry. It’s a tradition. You know how much I want to spend it with you. Even if I told them not to come, Hanji would show up unannounced.”

Eren brought his arm up and Levi closed his eyes as Eren’s hand caressed his cheek reassuringly, “It’s okay, Levi. I understand. Plus, I think Jean invited us to a party at his house.”

Levi went back to fiddling with a lock of Eren’s hair and sighed quietly. He was worried that Eren would get mad at him, but he realized that, once again, Eren had his mature moments. Levi knew that quiet “oh” was disappointment, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“Le-vi, can we get some food? I feel like my stomach is going to eat itself.”

Levi chuckled and shook his head, “We just ate.”

Eren shrugged his shoulders and stretched in Levi’s lap, “That was two hours ago and it was a light snack. So, lets get some food. I mean, unless I can have you for dinner?”

Levi growled as Eren grasped the back of his neck and brought Levi’s lips to his own. When Eren let him pull away, Levi flicked him in the nose, “You’re a little shit. Let’s go get some food.”

Levi watched Eren rub his nose while pouting and pushed him off the couch playfully. They slipped on their shoes, grabbed their jackets, and headed out of the apartment to find some food before Levi had to drop Eren off.

~

Armin showed up around seven the next night to pick Mikasa and Eren up. His grandfather let him borrow the car once again with the promise that Armin wouldn’t drive if it got too late.  Eren sat in the backseat and texted Levi as they headed towards Jean’s house.

_Eren: hey, we’re heading to Jean’s place now._

_Levi: Okay, be careful. Don’t get in any fights._

_Eren: I’ll try, depends on that horse face. what are you doing?_

_Levi: Trying to remember why I have friends. I’m being subjected to greasy Mexican food and a bunch of B movies._

_Eren: lol sounds like fun_

_Levi: Loads._

Eren slid his phone in his pocket and looked out the window. He was jealous. He was jealous that he wasn’t the one spending New Year’s Eve with Levi. Even though it was irrational, he wanted to monopolize all of Levi’s time. Eren knew in his head that Levi had other people in his life and he couldn’t just make Levi forgo a tradition between him and his friends, just because Eren was being selfish. Eren knew all of this, especially the fact that one of those friends was Eren’s principle and the one person that needed to be avoided at all cost. It was imperative that their relationship be hidden until Eren was, at least, eighteen. Despite knowing all of this, Eren couldn’t help but be disappointed.

When they finally arrived, Eren trailed behind as Armin and Mikasa approached the front door. He watched Jean greet Mikasa before giving a broad smile to Armin, who in turn blushed. Jean didn’t even wait for Eren to get to the front door before leading Armin in with an arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist.

_Fucking horse face. I swear if you slip up and hurt Armin, I’m going to give your face the reconstructive surgery it needs._

Eren shook his head and inhaled deeply before exhaling. He needed to calm down. He needed to try to enjoy tonight for what it’s worth, because there’s no point in sitting around in a bad mood and sulking. Eren knew if Levi saw him, he’d probably reprimand him for acting like a brat. Eren took another deep breath and entered the house, which was housing a fairly large crowd already.

~

Armin could feel his face turning red as Jean smiled at him after greeting Mikasa. It was so different to have someone actually excited to see him and so happy for his presence. It was different, but it was refreshing. Sure, Eren and Mikasa cared for him and liked to be around him, but they were childhood friends. It was a given. However, Jean was someone who had no obligation to even interact with Armin, yet here he is with a smile and a gentle touch.

Armin had been floating on Cloud Nine for the past couple of weeks. Jean would take him out on dates on the weekends and hangout with him after school. Despite his social status in school and his normal demeanor, Jean was surprisingly sweet and thoughtful. Armin was sure that he was the only one who got to witness this side of Jean and it made him happy beyond belief.

Jean’s voice brought Armin out of his thoughts, “Hey, what’s wrong with Eren? He seems to be in a bad mood.”

Armin sighed and looked back at Eren briefly before shrugging his shoulders, “I don’t know. He’s been really quiet since I picked him up. He keeps staring at his phone and sighing.”

Jean raised an eyebrow and glanced at Eren again, “Sounds like he's got a crush. Sure as hell isn’t a girlfriend.”

Armin jabbed Jean in the side, which got him an apology, and pressed his lips together in thought.

_Eren has been leaving his apartment a lot lately. Not to mention, he’s always on his phone. But who could he be talking to? I haven’t seen him with anyone else besides me and Mikasa. Maybe I’ll ask him about it later._

Armin shrugged his shoulders once again and looked at Jean, “Who knows. Just try not to pick a fight with him, okay?”

Jean wrapped his arms around Armin, bringing him into a hug, “I won’t. I promise.”

Armin smiled and hugged Jean back, resting his head on Jean’s chest, “Thank you.”

~

“Leeeevi! Bring the wine and glasses when you get done!”

Levi finished wiping off the plates before he put them up into the cupboard and grabbed three wine glasses along with the bottle of wine Erwin had brought with him.

“Oi, shitty glasses, whose place do you think you’re at? Don’t think you can order me around like you do Captain America over there.”

Levi smirked as Hanji cackled at Erwin’s blush of embarrassment. That nickname has been following him since high school and Levi would never let him live it down. He set the wine glasses down on their respective coasters and put the wine bottle down on the table before sitting back down on the couch. It was a quarter till midnight and they had the news on to watch the ball in New York City drop on TV.

“So, Levi,” Levi groaned as he saw Hanji’s demeanor change to the one that indicated she was brimming with curiosity, “Erwin says you seem to be in a better mood lately. What gives? Don’t hold back information from me.”

Levi glared at Erwin, who just held his hands up in defense, “I can’t just be in a better mood?”

Hanji clucked her tongue and shook her head, “No no, Levi, I’ve known you for far too long for that to be an acceptable reason.”

Levi shrugged and sat back, resting his arms on the back of the couch before crossing his legs, “That’s the only reason you’re going to get.”

Hanji pouted and began complaining to Erwin about how unfair Levi was being to which Erwin tried to reassure her that Levi has always been like that and she shouldn’t have expected anything different. Levi tuned the both of them out as he thought about the one person he wanted to be here but wasn’t.

Eren had been texting him off and on since leaving for Jean’s party. Levi could tell that Eren was sulking a little; because he mostly complained about how much Jean sucks and that the party was boring. Eventually texts from Eren stopped for a while and Levi could only assume that he was finally trying to have fun. Even though Levi was happy that Eren stopped sulking, it made Levi feel a little lonely.

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out and swiped the screen to unlock it.

_Eren: sorry I stopped texting, Jean challenged me to an arm wrestling contest and then it turned into this competition or whatever_

_Levi: It’s okay. Did you win?_

_Eren: hell yeah I won. what are you doing?_

_Levi: Listening to incessant babbling and watching TV._

_Eren: sounds fun, lol. are you going to watch the ball drop? Jean’s got it on this 90” TV, you should see it, it’s huge._

_Levi: Loads of fun, always. Yeah, we’ve got it on the TV right now._

_Eren: that’s cool. i wish I could see it with you._

Levi looked at his phone with his fingers hovering over the screen while he tried to think of a reply. He missed Eren. He craved Eren’s presence like the shore craves the ocean’s touch as it waits for the tide. Levi had never felt this achingly empty feeling in his chest before meeting Eren. He had never thought he could crave someone so much that he felt the physical effects of being deprived of that person’s presence. Last but certainly not least, he never knew he could fall for someone so quickly and easily. Eren’s soul was warmth that Levi never knew he needed and he decided that he didn’t ever want to be without it.

“Levi, four more minutes until midnight!”

Levi glanced at the TV and then back at his phone before typing a reply.

_Levi: Go somewhere quiet._

Levi waited for Eren’s reply and started shaking his leg in nervousness that Eren wouldn’t see his text in time. A buzz of his phone caused a tightening in his chest.

_Eren: ok, done._

Levi got up from the couch and pocketed his phone, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Aw, you’re going to miss the ball dropping!”

Levi began walking to his bedroom and called out over his shoulder, “I’d rather not shit on myself just to watch a big ball drop, gross.”

He heard Hanji laugh and closed the door to his bedroom behind him, pulling his phone out in the process. He went to his contacts and selected Eren’s name before pressing call. He listened as the phone rang, his heart pounding relentlessly against his ribs.

_Click._

“Hello?” Levi could hear the confusion in Eren’s voice.

“Hey, brat.”

“Levi, is something wrong?”

“Not at all, why would there be?”

Levi listened as Hanji counted down in the living room. _TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN…_

Levi could practically hear Eren’s shrug as he spoke up, “I don’t know. You texted me and told me to go somewhere quiet-“

“Shh, brat.”

_FOUR._

“Okay.”

_THREE._

“Hey, Eren.”

_TWO._

“Hm?”

_ONE._

“Happy New Year.”

Levi could hear the intake of breath and the grin in Eren’s voice, “Happy New Year to you too, Levi.”

Yeah, this was something he could get used to. Hearing Eren’s voice, listening to Eren’s heartbeat as Levi rested his head on the teen’s chest, watching him blush after teasing him for being overzealous. Levi was being pulled into the ocean by the tide that consisted of a certain bright-eyed being and he didn’t mind if he drowned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaah, fluff. I love fluff. So much fluff. 
> 
> Edit: I forgot. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE. I hope you all have fun and are safe!!
> 
> Thank you for reading! Till next chapter~


	15. Tears and Lullabies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little of Eren's past and some angst to top it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> As always, thank you for leaving kudos and comments and just being freakin' awesome! 
> 
> That being said, I'm starting classes tomorrow and I might not be able to update as frequently. It looks like the course load for my Cognitive Psychology class is going to eat up a lot of my time, so I'm going to try my hardest to update when I have free time. I'm sorry and thank you in advance for your patience. <3

There was something off about Eren today and Levi couldn’t really figure out what. Maybe it was the fact that the teen was abnormally quiet and responded to any question with a few words at most. Or maybe it was the fact that the boy wasn’t nearly as clingy as he usually is. Normally, Levi felt that silence was golden and he relished in the quiet peacefulness that he and Eren had established by now. This silence was different though and it made Levi uneasy, which in turn annoyed the shit out of him.

At the moment, they were both sitting on the couch. Eren was curled up on one end and Levi was stretched out with his head resting on Eren’s lap. They had the TV on, but Levi wasn’t even paying attention to it. He was fighting sleep as he began to relax because of Eren absently running fingers through his hair.

“Hey, Eren.”

“Hm?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Yeah.”

Levi sat up abruptly and glared at Eren, who wasn’t paying a bit of attention to the absence of Levi in his lap. Levi didn’t say a word, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to remain calm if he opened his mouth. He was just going to wait until his stare either got Eren’s attention or caught his hair on fire. Whichever came first.

After a few minutes and a commercial break, Eren finally noticed Levi’s absence and looked over at him with a puzzled expression.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you glaring at me?”

Levi could feel his eyebrow twitch and had to breathe in deeply to calm his nerves.

“Why have you been acting so weird today, Eren?”

Levi watched as Eren tensed up and averted his gaze. He was about to ask Eren again, but Eren spoke up, “I’m just tired.”

Levi let out a quiet sigh before getting up off the couch and kneeling in front of Eren. He placed his hands on Eren’s knees and looked up at the teen, who was staring at him with confusion written all over his face.

“That’s bullshit and you know it, Eren. You’re a horrible liar. Is it something to do with me?”

Levi watched as Eren’s eyes widened in horror and shook his head wildly, “No, no, no, Levi. It’s not you at all.”

Levi gave Eren’s knees a gentle squeeze before taking the teen’s hands into his own, “So if it’s not me, then what’s bothering you? You know I’m here for you.”

~

Eren looked down at his hands as Levi held them and bit his lower lip in thought. He hadn’t realized that he had been acting weird. He was so lost in his own thoughts that it didn’t register that Levi might pick up on the fact that Eren wasn’t his usual self. Eren knew this day was coming up and he knew how he usually acted when it got here. He just didn’t remind himself that Mikasa and Armin weren’t the only ones in his life now. Those two knew what tomorrow meant. They knew how Eren got, but Levi didn’t. Levi didn’t even know about tomorrow. Eren knew this was his fault, he should have told Levi way before today. He should have, but it wasn’t something he could just bring up in normal day conversation. It was depressing and after these past couple of months with Levi, he wasn’t too keen on bringing up anything depressing to disrupt the happiness.

With a loud sigh, he hunched his shoulders and looked away from Levi’s intense gaze, “I’m sorry. I should have told you way before now.”

He swallowed, his nerves getting the best of him, and tried to keep his breathing regulated. This was a subject he avoided talking about as much as possible. He knew Levi knew the basics. It was a given with the fact that Eren was living by himself with his adopted sister. Levi had never pried into the specifics though, so Eren never told him. A light squeeze of his hands brought his attention back to the situation at hand.

Eren gave Levi a meek smile before inhaling deeply and then exhaling, “You know that Mikasa and I live by ourselves, right?”

“Yeah…”

“I’m not sure you remember, but I told you that my mom is dead and my dad is missing.”

Eren looked at Levi again to see what kind of expression he was wearing and was surprised by the concern that was written all over his face.

“Yeah, I remember.”

Eren nodded his head and began to speak again, “Well, tomorrow is the anniversary of my mom’s death.”

A quick inhale of breath, so quiet that Eren almost didn’t hear it. Eren knew that Levi wasn’t going to say anything and it was almost reassuring because Eren has heard enough “I’m sorry” for a lifetime. He rubbed his thumbs across the back of Levi’s fingers and decided to continue.

“I get like this every year around this time. I just forgot that you’ve never seen this side of me, so I didn’t warn you ahead of time. I’m sorry.”

Levi shook his head, “No, don’t apologize, Eren. It’s okay.”

Eren watched as Levi stood up and sat back down on the couch. When Levi patted his lap indicating that Eren should lie down, Eren happily obliged and rested his head on Levi’s thigh. They stayed like that for a few minutes as Levi twirled a strand of Eren’s hair, which helped calm Eren down.

“I was 9 when it happened. Me and Mikasa were at school and-“

“Eren, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It can be some other time if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. I want to tell you now, because sometimes it helps to talk about it. I’ve only really had Mikasa and Armin and they already know everything so it’s not really the same.”

Eren sighed before he continued, “So, we were at school and it was during lunch when they came to get us. I was freaking out, because I didn’t know what I was in trouble for. You know, I was a whole lot worse back then. I was always getting into fights; I don’t understand how my mom didn’t lose her sanity.”

He chuckled quietly and rubbed at his cheek as he remembered his mother’s stern gaze while she reprimanded him for the thousandth time, “They…They took us into the guidance counselor’s officer and made us sit on the couch while a police officer came in. I started freaking out even more, because surely I didn’t do anything to warrant being arrested. Mikasa knew what was going on before they even said anything, though. When I saw her face get really pale…I-I got this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like I knew something bad was about to happen or already happened, but I didn’t know what it was. I had never been so scared in my life.”

Levi’s fingers continued to run through his hair and Eren found it comforting as he took in a deep, shaky breath before speaking again, “The police officer kneeled down to our level and spoke in this calm way, like he was approaching a skittish animal. Which I guess in a way he was, but it was really unnerving. He told us that there had been an accident and that our mom wasn’t here anymore.”

Eren struggled to hold his tears back and took a deep breath that stung his throat like it had been raw from strain, “I didn’t believe him. I was furious. I called him a liar and that my mom was fine. That she was at home, waiting for me to get back. I told them that they had the wrong kid and that nothing bad would ever happen to my mom. The officer kept trying to say that he understood how I was feeling, but that I needed to accept the truth. Mikasa had to hold me back, because I tried to attack him…When I saw her face and saw that she was crying…I kept begging her to agree with me. I kept asking her if she thought he was really telling the truth. When she said she believed him, I got so mad and started yelling at her. I said she was stupid and didn’t know what she was talking about. God, it wasn’t fair to Mikasa, she’d already lost one mother and now two…Eventually, I calmed down long enough to hug her and we just cried our hearts out. I had never cried that much before. All I could do was think of my mom’s smile and how she always made sure to let me know she loves me. I remembered she always smelled like sunshine and the breeze on a summer day and that I would never smell that scent again. I’d never see her smiling face again.”

He smiled sorrowfully as the memories came flooding back. This time he couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his face into Levi’s lap, “They said it was a car accident. My mom and dad were together from what they could tell, going somewhere but I couldn’t tell you where. The car lost control and ran off the road, my mom’s side, the passenger’s side, collided with a tree and she died instantaneously. They don’t know what happened to my dad. His body was nowhere to be found and he never came back.”

Eren felt anger bubbling up in his chest at the thought. He knew his dad wasn’t dead and he knew he would never forgive the man for abandoning them.

“After the funeral, we stayed with a distant uncle for a few years. He was a drunk and once Mikasa got old enough to work, she went straight to work and filed for emancipation.  Once they granted it to her, the uncle could care less if I followed her, so I left.”

Eren sat up and looked at Levi, who began to swipe his thumb over the tears that were rolling down Eren’s cheeks. Eren curled up into Levi, resting his head on the older male’s chest and relaxed as Levi wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“I miss her, Levi. I miss her so god damn much. She was my light. I miss her getting on to me about fighting or leaving my plate on the table. I miss how she would tease me about not being as helpful as Mikasa. The world disappeared when she held me in her arms while quietly singing lullabies. Oh god, I just wish she were here still. I would give anything just to hear her laugh again. It’s not fair…”

Levi held him while he cried, stroking his hair, and periodically whispering that it was okay and that he was there. Eren lost track of time and when he finally pulled away from Levi, his nose was running and he had to breathe through his mouth because he couldn’t breathe through his nose at all. Levi’s shirt was soaked with Eren’s tears and snot and he began apologizing profusely as stared at the mess he made. Levi was sure to be mad and disgusted with him now, but as Eren was apologizing over and over, Levi stopped him.

“Eren, it’s okay. It’s alright. I’m fine. The shirt can be washed, don’t worry about it, okay?”

Levi leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Eren’s forehead before getting up from the couch to go to his bedroom. A few minutes later, Levi came out with a clean shirt on and curled up on the couch next to him. Eren had cleaned up the mess that his face was making earlier and was glad that Levi wasn’t mad. He leaned to the side, placed his head on Levi’s shoulder which in turn caused Levi to rest his head against Eren’s.

After a few minutes of mindlessly watching TV, Eren spoke up, “I miss her so much, Levi.”

He felt Levi shift his head to place a kiss on the top of Eren’s head before going back to the same position, “I know, Eren. She was your mother and you loved her a lot. ‘Mother is God in the eyes of a child.’”

Eren looked up at Levi with a small smirk, “Did you literally just quote Silent Hill?”

Levi glanced down at him before going back to watching the TV and shrugging his shoulders, “What? It’s relevant and I think it’s true. Got a problem with it?”

Eren chuckled lightly and went back to watching the TV, as well, “No, no problem at all.”

“Good, because if you did I’d force you to watch Barney for the next 5 hours.”

Eren grimaced and shook his head, “No, thank you. Anything but that.”

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._

_You make me happy, when skies are grey._

_You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you._

_So please, don’t take my sunshine away._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope it was okay! 
> 
> Until next chapter~


	16. Chocolates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chocolates, egg rolls, wrestling. You know, normal couple's stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and all of the kudos!!!
> 
> You guys are amazing. I'm so happy that people actually like this and take time to read this. Ahhh, I love it. 
> 
> So, I wasn't planning on updating so soon, but I've gotten a couple of messages from people asking me to update and I've always been a people pleaser. So here it is and I hope you like it!

“What is _that_?”

Eren fidgeted as he held out a heart-shaped box to the obviously perturbed Levi. He hadn’t expected this kind of reaction from the older male and it made his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

Eren spoke quietly while averting his eyes, “It’s a box of chocolates. You do know what day it is, right?”

He peered at Levi long enough to see the older male glance at the box as if it had suddenly become some kind of alien. Eren wasn’t sure why Levi was reacting like this, but it was making Eren second guess himself and he didn’t like the feeling.

Levi finally spoke up, “Let me guess. It’s Valentine’s Day, right?  I didn’t realize the date.”

Eren looked at Levi, relieved that he didn’t have to be the one to say it. The nurse still sported a frown and Eren frowned in return, “You don’t like Valentine’s Day? I didn’t know. I’m sorry. You don’t have to accept the chocolates if you don’t want to.”

Eren almost yelped as the box was snatched out of his hands and he watched as Levi opened it and took out a chocolate.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it, brat. I was just caught off guard and I don’t have anything for you right now, sorry.”

Eren smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head before shrugging his shoulders, “It’s okay. You don’t have to get me anything. It’s not like I have a lot of money to get you things besides chocolate.”

Levi set the box down on his desk after popping the piece of chocolate in his mouth and eating it. Eren waited as he watched Levi chew the chocolate and swallow.

“How is it? Is it okay?” Eren began to fidget again, because he wasn’t sure if Levi even liked chocolate like Eren did.

Instead of answering him, Levi walked up to him and motioned with his finger for Eren to come closer. Eren inched closer, wary of what Levi might do because he couldn’t read the older male’s face at all. “What’s wrong?”

Levi kept motioning with his finger and Eren could tell he was starting to get annoyed for whatever reason. Before Eren could open his mouth to ask the question again, Levi grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

Eren had no time to react before he felt Levi’s impatient lips against his. The heat of it made Eren’s body tingle and it took all of his willpower to not let it go to a certain part of his body. He gasped as he felt a tongue slide along his bottom lip, which Levi took the opportunity to swipe it along Eren’s. Eren recovered quickly and reveled in the trace of chocolate that was on Levi’s tongue. It was sweet and salty at the same time and Eren could only guess that it was one of the chocolates that had nuts in it. Levi’s hand had travelled up his chest and was grasping the back of his neck tightly as he deepened the kiss.

Much to Eren’s disappointment, Levi broke it off and stepped back. Both of them were panting and Eren took pride in the flustered expression Levi was showing him. He loved the fact that Levi’s lips looked red and swollen because of him.

“You tell me.”

Eren wasn’t quite sure what Levi was saying and it must’ve shown on his face, because Levi rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip.

_So much sass._

“You asked if the chocolate was okay. So you tell me.”

Eren had to stop himself from smacking his palm against his forehead. He had completely forgotten why the kiss had even happened, he was just relishing in the fact that Levi initiated a kiss on school grounds.

“U-um. I think it was pretty good.”

The smirk on Levi’s face made him blush, but he swallowed the embarrassment and asked, “So, can I come over tonight?”

~

The brat is bold to say the least. Levi wasn’t sure where he got that confidence all of the sudden, but it was refreshing. He waited a couple of minutes to reply just to make the kid a little uneasy. He spoke up right when Eren began to open his mouth, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can trust you to control yourself.”

Levi restrained himself from smirking as he watched Eren get flustered and start sputtering denials and reassurances that he knew how to control himself.

_Serves him right for throwing me off. He could have given me a heads up this morning. He could have said, “Happy Valentine’s Day” in his text this morning, but no. This brat had the nerve to just show up here with a box of chocolates and looking all cute and shit. Playing fair is no longer in the equation._

“Come here after sixth period. Depending on my mood at the end of the day, I might just let you come over.”

Levi chuckled as he watched Eren pout. The warning bell rang for the beginning of the day and Levi all but pushed Eren out of the nurse’s office, “Get your cute ass out of here and don’t even think about skipping class today.”

He heard Eren whine as he shut the door and couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement. He couldn’t believe how mature the boy could be at times yet still act like a five year old when he didn’t get his way.

_Not like I have much room to talk, though._

~

By the end of sixth period, Eren was basically bouncing in his seat. He watched as the seconds ticked by on the clock above the door and as soon as the bell rang, he all but ran out of the classroom. When he finally reached the nurse’s office, Levi was already waiting for him. The older male was leaning against the door, examining his nails and looking like he had been waiting the whole day for Eren to arrive.

“Hey.” Eren stopped beside him and gave him a lopsided grin.

“Hey, brat. You ready to go?”

Eren tried not to bounce in place and look like an eager puppy, “So I can come over? By the way, where are the chocolates?”

Levi rolled his eyes at Eren for the second time today and put his hands on his hips, “No, I’m just going to drop you off at home and completely ignore the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day. And I ate them all.”

Eren’s eyes widened and his jaw slackened before he snapped his mouth closed and squinted at Levi, “You ate them all? All 20 pieces of chocolate in one day?”

Eren could have swore that if Levi rolled his eyes one more time they would roll right out of his head.

“Yeah. So what?”

Eren muffled a laugh with his hand and shook his head in disbelief, “You’re going to get a stomachache later and don’t you dare blame me for it.”

Levi glared at him and turned on his heel to start off towards the parking lot, “If you don’t keep up, you’re not coming at all.”

Eren had to stop his snicker at Levi’s comment, because Eren’s mind went straight to the gutter. Levi obviously knew what went through Eren’s mind, because he waved his hand as if to say he was just going to leave Eren there to be a little kid. Eren whined and jogged to keep up with Levi’s brisk pace.

~

They finally got to Levi’s apartment after a slight detour to grab dinner. Eren figured out a while ago that Chinese takeout was one of Levi’s favorite sources of food. He was pretty sure that Levi would live off of it if he could, but Levi told him that he wasn’t looking to die any time soon due to poor eating habits.  

After dishing out their portions, they took their plates to the living room and took a few minutes on deciding what to watch on TV. Eren didn’t know why they even bothered taking the time to decide because they usually ended up talking and just ignoring it completely.

Eren asked how Levi’s day went and in turn talked about his classes. The idle chitchat went on while they ate and occasionally Levi would get onto him for talking with his mouth full. Something to the effect of _gross_ and _heathen._

Eren couldn’t keep his eyes off of Levi for more than a minute. It was Valentine’s Day and he couldn’t help but think of all the things normal teens with overactive libidos would think about. Not saying that he was exactly normal, but the point has been made. He was sure that Levi noticed his staring, but the older male seemed to ignore it for the most part.

“Oi, brat, I know you’re not about to eat the last egg roll.”

Eren stopped in mid action, his mouth open and an egg roll just about to be consumed before he looked at Levi, “Yeah, what about it?”

Levi threw him a piercing glare and Eren was glad the saying “If looks could kill” wasn’t possible. “That’s my egg roll. Give it.”

Eren was about to hand it over, simply because of that glare, but then decided to pull it back and grin, “Oh yeah? Fight me for it.”

He watched as Levi blinked in surprise before looking at the egg roll then back at him. Eren didn’t expect him to lunge, but obviously Levi wasn’t going to give up the last egg roll. They wrestled around, Eren keeping the egg roll just out of Levi’s reach, which wasn’t that hard considering the older male’s size. He knew it was pissing Levi off to no end that Eren was using his height against him, but he wasn’t just going to let Levi win.

They somehow ended up on the floor in their tussle and Eren accidently dropped the egg roll on the floor. At that moment Levi was lying on top of him, his arm stretched out from when he was trying to grab the egg roll, and just looked at it in shock. Eren’s heart was pounding, because he didn’t know if he was about to be yelled at for wasting food or for dirtying Levi’s floor. It seemed like an eternity before Levi looked down at Eren with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Levi! I’m sorry. I’ll go buy another one and I’ll scrub your floor. Just please don’t kill me.”

Eren figured pleading for his life would help his case, but Levi’s dark chuckle made Eren swallow in fear. Levi grasped his face with one hand and somehow pinned both of his wrists with the other.

“Oh, you’re going to do all of that after I’m done with you.”

“What’s that supposed t-“

Eren was cut off by Levi’s lips and Eren tried to suppress the moan that built up in the back of his throat. This wasn’t exactly how Eren had planned this day to go, but he wasn’t about to complain. He welcomed Levi’s probing tongue and relinquished dominance to the older male almost instantly. Eren’s body was heating up and he tried to buck up, looking for some kind of friction, when Levi broke away from him abruptly and stood up with a stretch.

Eren was confused. He thought that things were just getting started, but then he thought that maybe Levi just didn’t want to be on the floor during this. Eren sat up and made a move to get up when Levi pressed a foot against his crotch. Eren moaned quietly before looking up when he heard a dark chuckle.

“I’m going to go take a shower. You better clean that off my floor and go get me another egg roll before I’m done. And no, you can’t take care of that beforehand.”

Eren gaped as he watched Levi sashay away, like a cat that just caught a big prize.

_Satan. There’s no other explanation I will accept. I’m dating Satan._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe. I love a sassy Levi. He reminds me of a cat. 
> 
> I hope it's okay and thank you for reading!
> 
> Till next chapter~


	17. Birthday Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title kinda says it all, haha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. I'm so, so sorry, guys. It's almost been 2 weeks since my last update, I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long. My classes are kicking my butt, unfortunately. Thank you all for your feedback, kudos, and bookmarks. It makes me so freakin' happy that people actually like my fic and I reread all of the comments because aaah, it makes me grin and blush like mad. 
> 
> Anyways, this chapter is a bit longer than normal, so I hope it makes up for the late update. 
> 
> I hope you like it!

The rest of Valentine’s Day and the past several weeks remained uneventful. Eren stayed slightly irritated with Levi after that day, because he didn’t appreciate being teased so easily over an egg roll. It was bad enough that he had to wait until his birthday to do anything about it and Levi’s teasing just made it even more difficult. Eventually, he got over it and spent almost every second he could in the man’s presence. Except for right now. Right now, Eren was sitting on the couch in his apartment along with Mikasa, Armin, Armin’s grandfather, Annie, and Jean. Why the hell Jean was here was beyond Eren, but the horse face had enough decency not to start anything.

They had pulled chairs into the living room, so they were all sitting around the coffee table that was sporting a couple of wrapped gifts, their beverages, and one fairly large, generic cake. Eren stared at the cake with its white and green icing, the words, “Happy 18th Birthday, Eren!” written across it. Eren looked at the cake with greedy eyes. He loved sweet things and this cake looked pretty good for being a generic cake from Wal-Mart. Eren’s concentration broke when Mikasa got up abruptly and headed towards the kitchen.

“Hold on, Eren, close your eyes. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Eren perked up at the word “surprise” and obediently closed his eyes, trying to use his hearing to guess what was going on.­­ He heard Mikasa come back to the living room and a soft scrap of plastic against the coffee table’s surface.

“Okay, you can look now.”

Eren slowly opened one eye in trepidation of what he would see, but quickly opened both when he saw what was before him. What sat on the table in front of him was a little personal German Chocolate Cake. This type of cake was Eren’s absolute favorite and he hadn’t eaten it in years. His mom used to make it for him for his birthday and it was one of the main things he used to look forward to when it reached March. The first birthday after she died was the last time he’d seen one. Mikasa had tried to make it like his mom did, but Eren couldn’t even look at it without crying. After that, Mikasa didn’t try again and instead stuck with the safe, generic cakes. Eren knew that she had only meant well, but the cake reminded him so much of what was lacking in his life.

Tears started to well up in the corners of Eren’s eyes at the sight of the chocolate dessert. Eren had to grab ahold of Mikasa’s wrist, because she saw the tears in his eyes and was about to take the cake away. He shook his head and gave her an apologetic smile for being so emotional.

“It’s fine. Thank you.”

He heard Mikasa let out a loud sigh of relief, “I thought that maybe you would finally be ready to eat it again.”

In his peripheral, Eren saw Jean giving Armin a confused look and Armin just shaking his head while mouthing, “I’ll tell you later”. He appreciated his best friend not going into why he was crying over a cake where he could hear. He didn’t need to hear any smartass remarks Jean would most likely make.

  _Nothing like ruining your own birthday, because you had to go to jail for assaulting someone._

He watched Mikasa place one small candle in the center of his cake then step back to let Annie light it with the lighter she always kept on her.

“Okay, Eren, are you ready?”

Eren grimaced and nodded his head. This was always his least favorite part of birthday parties. He didn’t know what to do when everyone was singing, besides sit there like a dumbass.

All at once, everyone began to sing.

_Happy Birthday to you._

_Happy Birthday to you._

_Happy Birthday, dear Eren._

_Happy Birthday to you!_

_You smell like a monkey and you are one too!_

Eren glared at Jean, who had added the last line, before looking at the lit candle, closing his eyes, and blowing a puff of air out. He opened his eyes and grinned, secretly hoping his wish would come true.

“So, Eren, what did you wish for?” Armin peered at him curiously, the question drawing everyone’s attention back to Eren.

“I’m not saying. If I said it aloud, then it wouldn’t come true.”

Armin chuckled with a nod of his head before clapping his hands together, “Well, who’s ready for some cake?”

Everyone eagerly grabbed a paper plate and waited as Mikasa cut into the white cake. Eren grabbed a plastic fork from the coffee table and began to dig into his little personal cake. He stared at the piece on his fork for a good thirty seconds, wondering if it was going to be as good as he remembered. He was almost hesitant to eat it, because he didn’t want to be disappointed if it wasn’t exactly how he remembered.

He glanced up to see Mikasa staring at him, worry written along her face. He decided that either way, he was going to have to do this. He needed to do this. This was a step forward in his life. He knew that he still clung onto the past, hoping that it wouldn’t disappear. That if he kept it in the back of his mind, he would never be able to forget it. He realized now that he was never going to forget his mother’s face. He didn’t need to cling to small things like this. Eating this cake wasn’t going to erase all of the happy memories he had of his mom. It was like an acknowledgement that he knew things wouldn’t ever be the same, but it will be okay. She will always be in his heart and he knew she wouldn’t want him to lose joy in things he loved just because she wasn’t around anymore to enjoy them with.

He gave Mikasa a lopsided grin and hurriedly enveloped the sugary goodness with his mouth. The moment the cake hit his tongue, he closed his eyes in bliss. It was exactly as he remembered it to be, if not better. The chocolate and coconut were a perfect mixture and he let it melt a little before swallowing and opening his eyes. Mikasa was smiling and Eren could have swore he saw tears in the corner of her eyes before she quickly looked away.

The others were talking amongst themselves while eating their cake. Eren didn’t talk at all, he was too busy savoring his cake and trying to figure out if he should eat all of it in one go or save some for tomorrow. His decision was made for him when he heard Mikasa clap her hands together to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay, it’s time for Eren’s presents!”

Eren put his cake back on the table and sat back into the couch in wait. The first person to give him a present was Armin’s grandfather. It was a small, rectangular box wrapped in forest green paper. Eren tore at the edge of the paper and carefully unwrapped the rest before studying the white box in wonder.  Lifting the lid, a simple, black pocket knife was revealed. Eren had to smile, because he mentioned to the old man how he wanted a pocket knife but didn’t have the money to pay for a decent one.

The old man spoke up, “I didn’t know if you still wanted one, but I saw it and thought it would be the perfect one for your first knife.”

Eren grinned and bobbed his head, “It’s perfect, thank you.”

He took the knife out and palmed it carefully, flipping the blade out before closing it and putting it in his pocket. It was a comfortable weight in his hand and a reassuring one in his pocket. It made him feel secure that he had something to defend himself with if he ever needed to.

The next person to offer a gift was Annie. With a flick of the wrist that Eren barely saw, a zippo lighter fell into his lap. He picked it up and looked at it quizzically. It was all black with his last name etched on both sides in red.

“How’d you get this?”

Annie shrugged, that indifferent expression never leaving her face, “Don’t worry about it. I know you don’t smoke, but you might need it for other things.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

She shrugged again and looked away. Next up was Jean with a hand outstretched while avoiding Eren’s gaze. Eren took the card out of Jean’s hand and looked at it in confusion.

“An iTunes gift card? I don’t have an iPod.”

Jean rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets, “Just take it, Jaeger.”

Eren raised an eyebrow, still confused to all hell, “Uh, thanks, I guess.”

Armin was up next and walked over with a sheepish smile, “I know you’re not big into reading, but I thought you would enjoy this book about the ocean. It’s got all sorts of facts and talks about theories and creatures.”

Armin handed the book to Eren and Eren grinned. He loved to learn anything and everything about the ocean. It was a topic he never got tired of talking about and his love for the ocean is one of the reasons why he’s considering going to school to become a marine biologist.

Eren ran his hand over the cover, feeling the smooth texture, and opened it to press his face into the pages. He doesn’t read as much as Mikasa and Armin, but one of his favorite scents in the world is the smell of a new book.

“Thanks, Armin. I love it.” He closed the book and set it aside, a huge grin still plastered on his face.

Last but not least, Mikasa reached over and handed him a small box wrapped in black paper. Where she found black wrapping paper, Eren had no clue. He gingerly unwrapped the box, revealing a clear case and something that Eren would have never expected.

“You bought me an iPod?!” Eren looked at Mikasa in disbelief, and then looked back down at the mp3 player.

“I thought you would like it, because you’re always complaining about not being able to listen to your music.” Mikasa frowned, her hands twisting the bottom of her shirt.

Eren shook his head and grinned, “It’s just so expensive, but I love it. Thank you, sis. That explains the gift card now.”

The relief poured out of Mikasa’s body and she smiled warmly at him, “I’m glad you like it. Don’t worry about the money, okay?”

Eren put the gift down and walked over to his sister, embracing her firmly. He felt her hesitate before wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing back. He pressed his cheek against the side of her head and spoke a soft “thank you”. The fact that she works so hard to support them and the fact that she spent money on him that she could’ve spent on herself made his heart hurt with love. He was so lucky to have such a caring sister, albeit overprotective but he knew it was another way she showed how much she loves him.

Everyone hung around for a little bit longer while Eren used their old laptop to upload some music to his new iPod. A couple of times Armin had to get between him and Jean, because Jean would make some smartass comment about his taste in music. Other than the small arguments, everything went pretty smoothly. Once everyone left it was around four in the afternoon and Eren was getting ready to head out. Mikasa gave him a questioning gaze, but didn’t try to ask where he was planning on going. He figured it was only because it was his birthday and she didn’t want to ruin it with a bunch of questions.

“Hey, I’m going to stay the night at a friend’s house. They’ll take me to school in the morning, okay?”

Eren tried to put on his sweetest smile in hopes that it would calm Mikasa’s nerves. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it and bit down on her bottom lip. Eren continued to pack some clothes in a neon green duffel bag while he waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts. He knew she was going to say something, so might as well not push it.

After a few minutes, Mikasa nodded her head and spoke up, “Okay. Just promise me you’ll be safe and don’t do anything stupid.”

Eren wrapped her up in a tight hug to hide the grin that was spreading on his face, “Yeah, I promise. Thank you.”

Eren had to hold back a laugh as he felt Mikasa’s shoulder slacken and he knew she was rolling her eyes. He felt a light smack on the back of his head and took it as a signal to let go. He turned back to his bag and double checked everything to make sure he hadn’t forgotten any necessary items. When everything was accounted for he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and headed out the door to wait for Levi to pick him up.

~

Levi pulled up to Eren’s apartment complex at a quarter till five and waited as the boy climbed into the car after putting his bag in the backseat. Once Eren was buckled, Levi put the car in reverse and left the parking lot as quickly as possible.

“Hey, brat. Did you have a good party?”

He could practically feel Eren’s grin as he concentrated on the road ahead.

“Yeah, I did. It was really nice.”

Levi nodded his head in response and turned his blinker on as he got into the turning lane. As they waited for the light, Levi spoke up, “Have you eaten? Would you like some dinner?”

Before Eren could even answer him, Levi heard a loud growl come from the passenger side. Levi tried his hardest not to laugh at the boy, who he could see blushing out of the corner of his eye.

“Alright then. Food it is!”

Levi had already planned on taking them to the restaurant, no matter what Eren’s answer was going to be. He had made reservations and he was starving from the lack of food consumption today. He wanted to be hungry enough to enjoy dinner and a dessert with the birthday boy and nothing was going to stop him.

_Except for fucking red lights._

Levi growled impatiently at the third red light he’s caught since getting Eren. He could hear Eren quietly chuckling which earned the boy a flick on the knee. He smirked at the squeak it produced and then sighed in relief when the light finally turned green.

“So what all did you get today?” It was a simple question, but Levi figured Eren was bursting to tell him.

“Armin’s grandfather bought me a pocket knife, it’s really nice. Annie gave me a zippo lighter with my last name on it! Here, look!”

Levi glanced over as Eren held out the lighter, showing it off excitedly, “That’s pretty cool. Don’t start smoking though.”

Eren made a noise of irritation and softly exclaimed, “But you smoke! I’m eighteen now and I can smoke if I want.”

Levi shook his head in amusement and clucked his tongue, “I only do it, because I picked up the nasty habit. It’s gross and you shouldn’t do it just because it’s legal now, shitty brat.”

Eren let out a frustrated huff before continuing on about his presents, “Anyway, Armin got me this awesome book about the ocean and I can’t wait to start looking at it. Mikasa got me an iPod! I can’t believe she spent all of that money on me, on top of getting me a German Chocolate cake.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that last sentence, “What’s so special about a German Chocolate cake?”

As soon as he asked the question, Levi immediately regretted it. He felt Eren’s body tense in the passenger seat and the air became thick with sadness. Levi could already guess what Eren was going to say, so he quickly retracted his question, “Hey, I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

The tension ebbed off bit by bit, though the sadness was still palpable.  It took a minute for Eren to speak up and when he did his voice was soft and sad, “My mom used to make it for me every birthday. I hadn’t had it since she died. Mikasa made it for me the first birthday after, but I couldn’t even look at it without crying. It was great today. It was better than I remember it and I’m so glad she got it. Sorry for getting all sad, I swear I’m okay.”

Levi bit down on his lower lip as Eren spoke, the sadness in the boy’s voice causing his own throat to tighten and burn as if he was the one holding back tears.

_That’s ridiculous, though. I don’t cry._

“I’m sorry, Eren. I’m glad you were finally able to eat it though.”

“It’s fine, Levi. You didn’t know and you were just curious. I’m glad too. I think my mom would’ve been upset if I never ate it again.”

Eren laughed quietly and Levi could only guess that he was imagining his mom and what she would have said to him for not eating his favorite cake for so long. Levi was glad that Eren was able to think about her without crying, it was proof that the boy was maturing every day.

Levi pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and brought the car around to the front for the valet. He looked over at Eren, who was busy gapping at the restaurant, and had to suppress a smirk at the boy’s amazement.

“Oi, come on. They have to take my car to park it. So get your cute ass out.”

He let out a soft chuckle as he watched Eren’s face turn a bright red at the comment and scrambled out of the car. Levi got out gracefully and gave the valet a twenty dollar bill before going around the car and putting his hand on the small of Eren’s back. He guided the boy to the entrance and gave a small nod to the doorman who opened the door for them. Levi brought his index finger to his mouth and bit down to keep from outright laughing at the slack-jawed teen. 

Levi decided to tease the boy some more and groped his ass before walking over to the hostess. The bright red flooding Eren’s face was priceless and Levi thanked whatever force out there that blessed him with this gem of a being. Levi almost couldn’t get enough of it and he never knew he could be so hopelessly infatuated with another person.

They were taken to their table almost immediately, much to Levi’s satisfaction. Before Eren could reach his seat, Levi hurriedly got to it and pulled it out for him. The smile Levi received from the gesture was worth it. He wouldn’t claim to be a diehard romantic and no one would ever guess it of him, but the simple fact that he wants to make this boy with those impossibly big green eyes happy makes up for any smartass comments he might receive if anyone found out.

After the waiter got their drink order and left them alone, Levi opened the menu and pretended to look it over as he watched Eren take it all in. The boy was dressed nicer than usual in a light blue button up shirt and black slacks along with a decent pair of dress shoes. It was only natural for him to be dressed like this, seeing as Levi told him that he needed to dress nicely for tonight and no, jeans and sneakers were not acceptable. Levi wore a simple suit, black slacks and jacket with a white dress shirt. It was all he really wore when it came to suits. He wasn’t the type to go all out with different designs and colors.  

Eren’s eyes were sparkling with excitement and wonder, “How did you get a reservation here? I heard that you have to get it months in advance.”

Levi shrugged while he took a sip of his water and looked away to avoid the boy’s gaze. He wasn’t about to confirm that rumor, it would get to the boy’s head if he knew that Levi had this planned for a couple of months. When he looked back, Eren had a shit-eating grin on his face and his eyes were lit up with amusement.

“Oi, brat, what are you grinning for?”

The question made Eren grin some more, how that was possible Levi had no clue, “Just happy.”

Levi looked away again and swore that the heat in his cheeks wasn’t due to some brat grinning like an idiot, “Tch.”

When the waiter came back, they ordered their food and made small talk. Eren asked how Bean was and what Levi did earlier today. Levi didn’t mind the chitchat, because it meant he could hear Eren talk, which was something he enjoyed. The boy was always so enthusiastic no matter what he was talking about. The energy was infectious and sometimes even Levi caught himself becoming animated about certain topics.

Erwin and Hanji kept asking him questions, wondering why he seemed happier now and why he barely protested when they made their monthly visits. It was like his whole demeanor changed and Levi didn’t want to admit he was becoming soft. So far, they only suspected things but luckily Erwin hasn’t put two and two together and if he has, he hasn’t said anything to Levi directly.

Their food came out in a timely manner and he couldn’t help but laugh at Eren drooling at the sight of it. The teen blushed, trying to cover it up by drinking his sweet tea. Levi had ordered a steak and Eren ordered parmesan chicken.  The food looked delicious and pretty soon they began to dig in.

Levi savored the steak, he rarely ate out like this because he was always alone. He looked up to see Eren eyeing his plate and smirked, “You want some?”

He watched Eren’s Adam's apple bob as he swallowed and nodded his head, “Please?”

Levi bit down on his lip and decided to make a show out of the exchange, just to tease the brat. He slowly took his knife and cut through the steak all the while staring at Eren. Once he cut off a piece, he stabbed it with his fork and leaned forward over the table to bring the piece of meat to Eren’s lips. Eren swallowed again before opening his mouth and keeping his eyes locked with Levi’s. The way Eren’s eyes darkened with unbridled lust as he took the steak into his mouth, his hand catching hold of Levi’s wrist made Levi’s breathing hitch and his nostrils flare. Levi broke eye contact to watch Eren’s lips slowly pull away from his fork, a tongue quickly sliding over said lips to catch any food particles left behind. Levi was still caught in Eren’s hand, the boy’s thumb trailing up and down the vein on the inside of Levi’s wrist sending chills down his spine.

Once Eren swallowed the piece of steak, he let Levi go with a small smile, “Delicious.”

Levi sat back down in his chair and let out a breathy “yeah” before going back to eating. He wanted to hurry up and get this dinner over with. This brat was going to end up stopping his heart if the night kept going on like this. Levi didn’t understand how Eren could be so awkward at times, but occasionally pull out this side of him that made Levi tremble.

They both finished their food fairly quickly and when the waiter brought the check Levi snatched it up before Eren could look at it. Once he paid and tipped, he took Eren’s hand in his own and they walked out as the valet pulled up with his car. He opened the door for Eren to slip in and then jogged to the other side, tipping the valet again before slipping in and driving off.

The drive to his apartment was a silent one. He could feel Eren’s nerves bubbling out of him and Levi had to take his hand into his own so that the boy would stop tapping his fingers on the center console. It was almost driving Levi nuts.

He pulled up to his parking spot, got out and grabbed Eren’s bag before dragging the teen through the lobby and into the elevator. Levi dropped the bag as soon as the doors closed on the elevator and grabbed a handful of Eren’s shirt pulling him into a heated kiss. His lips against Eren’s were frantic in the need to dominate and consume. Levi swiped his tongue across the boy’s bottom lip producing a moan from him and took the opening as a chance to taste the inside of Eren’s mouth.

The elevator dinged, indicating that they had reached his floor and Levi pulled away panting. He picked up Eren’s bag again and they hurried to his apartment door, Levi’s hands slightly shaking with adrenaline as he unlocked the door.

No sooner had Levi closed the door than Eren had him pushed up against it, hands roaming and a hot mouth pressed against his. Before he got caught up in the moment, Levi grabbed Eren’s jaw gently but firmly and cut off the kiss with a quiet laugh.

“Hold on, brat, lets slow down and relax. We have all night. First thing in order is a shower.”

Eren groaned and tried to press himself against Levi, but Levi slipped past him and smacked the boy on the ass before shaking a finger at him, “I said hold on, brat. Practice a little patience, will you?”

Eren whined and crossed his arms making Levi roll his eyes at the childlike behavior, “But, Le-vi, I’ve been patient for a while. We can take a shower afterwards.”

Levi shook his head with a smile and slid his jacket off as he walked to his room, “Just a little more won’t kill you, sunshine.”

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this fic has just a few more chapters left in it, it kind of makes me sad, wah.
> 
> Anyways, my tumblr is hanjisbitch and I do track the tag "fic: hands clean", I also use the tag to talk about updates in case you're wondering when the next update will be. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! Till next chapter~


	18. Reward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's what everyone has been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has gave me kudos and left comments and bookmarked this fic. You are the sole reason I have the drive to continue to write this fic, otherwise it would've been left unfinished. 
> 
> Second, holy crap, this update took so long because I did research on how to write smut and I don't think it helped at all, haha. I'm so freakin' sorry if this sucks major ass. Please forgive me. Oh and this is somehow all in Levi's POV. I dunno how I managed that.
> 
> Third, I made a post on tumblr about this, but when I was writing this, I almost made Levi say, "What is it, Eren?" until I realized that I know all of you would think of that freakin' Jean manga cap and laugh and that would totally ruin the mood, lmao. If you can figure out where the line would've been, you get a cookie. 
> 
> Anyways, enough of me rambling, I hope you enjoy!

Levi could have swore that Eren was in the shower for two hours. Maybe the kid was trying to top Levi’s time, who knows. Levi had gone in first and when he was done he came out to a nervous Eren sitting on his bed. Eren didn’t have to say he was nervous, he even tried to pull a bored expression to act cool, but Levi knew better. It was in the way Eren’s shoulders were stiff, his hands clenching and unclenching, the way he kept running a hand through his hair and when he realized what he was doing, stopping his hand halfway  to scratch at his cheek. So Levi did what he thought best and simply avoided looking in Eren’s direction as he got dressed and told Eren to go ahead and shower.

He was about to go into the bathroom to make sure Eren was still alive, but stopped mid-step when he heard the water cut off. Instead of just standing in the middle of the room and possibly making the boy more nervous, Levi decided to climb into his California king sized bed and prop himself up against the pillows. He figured the best way to help the teen unwind was to put on a budget cut horror movie and let the horrible special effects work their magic.

Eren came out in a baggy navy blue t-shirt and black pajama bottoms, his hair still damp and somewhat more tamed than normal.

_This is an image I want to see before I go to bed every night for the rest of my life._

Levi watched as the boy hesitated when he spotted Levi in the bed and had to stop himself from laughing at the awkward teen. He patted the spot next to him with a reassuring smile and motioned for Eren to join him.

“Come on, let’s watch this shitty movie.”

Eren’s shoulders relaxed, a sheepish grin spread across his face as he made his way to the bed and crawled in next to Levi. Levi wrapped his arm around the teen’s shoulders and pulled him in closer before resting his head on top of Eren’s.

They got through maybe half of the movie, which they spent most of it cracking up at the special effects and cheesy lines, before Eren started getting that courage from after dinner back. It started with soft nuzzling against Levi’s neck and then light kisses while Levi continued to watch the movie. Levi could literally feel the annoyance radiating off of Eren at the lack of response he was giving the boy. Soon Eren was nipping along his jawline and dragging fingers along Levi’s side. Levi was hesitant to respond though; he needed to know that Eren really wanted it. So he wanted to make sure Eren wasn’t going to lose heart just because of a little resistance.

Not much longer and Eren was nibbling on Levi’s earlobe, his hot breath caressing Levi’s ear and soon after was an impatient, “ _Le-vi”._ That was all that Levi needed before he quickly flipped the boy onto his back and claimed those impatient lips with his own. Eren’s body was impossibly hot and Levi ran his hands up and under the front of the boy’s shirt, feeling his smooth skin before lightly sweeping fingers over his nipples, gaining a loud gasp in response.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Levi brushed his fingertips across the sensitive nubs again and chuckled into the crook of Eren’s neck, “What? You don’t like it?”

He felt Eren shake his head as his body trembled under Levi’s touch, “It just feels…weird.”

Levi hummed in acknowledgement and trailed light kisses up and down Eren’s neck, “A lot of things are going to feel weird tonight, you sure you’re up to it?”

Levi could feel Eren swallow and nod his head, “Y-yeah, a hundred percent sure.”

“Just tell me to stop if you decide you don’t want to anymore, doesn’t matter if I’m about to put it in or we’re already going at it. I’ll stop whenever you want me to, okay?”

Levi had pulled back to stare Eren in the eyes, because he wanted to be sure the teen knew he was serious. He didn’t want him to think that he couldn’t stop this whole thing just because it got heated.

Eren stared back at him with those intense teal-green eyes and gave a firm nod, “Okay.”

Levi grasped Eren’s jaw lightly and kissed him deeply. Their lips were bruised and moist when they pulled apart, panting into each other’s mouths. Levi ran his hands up Eren’s sides, pulling the navy blue shirt along with them. Eren was beautiful in the sense that his body looked sexy yet innocent, which it technically is but Levi wasn’t going to focus on that if he could help it. His stomach was flat and toned in that natural way that most people would kill for. Tan skin smooth and virtually hairless except for the light brown trail leading down past the waistband of his pajamas.

Levi heard a quiet cough and realized he had been staring a little too much. He ran his hands along Eren’s chest before leaning down and grasping one of those pert nubs between his lips. While he teased with his mouth, he slipped his hand past the waistband of Eren’s pajamas and was pleasantly surprised. He released the nipple he was working on with a swipe of his tongue before letting out a throaty chuckle, “Commando, eh?”

He felt Eren shiver and heard him whimper with impatience, “Y-yeah. I figured I wouldn’t need them.”

The breath left Levi’s lungs and his throat closed up with lust at the thought of Eren anticipating all of this, “Tch, someone was impatient.”

The dark, lust-filled laugh that escaped Eren’s lips went straight to Levi’s groin. Instead of waiting for Eren to respond, Levi quickly went back to his ministrations, flicking his tongue over the already abused nipple while taking ahold of the hard, unrestrained length that his hand had discovered just moments ago.

The moans he brought out of Eren, as he steadily stroked the leaking hardness confined in those damn pajamas, was almost driving Levi insane. He wanted nothing more than to just go ahead and dive into that tight heat that he knew was waiting for him, but he knew that he had to take things slowly for Eren’s sake.

“Lee-vi.”

Levi didn’t stop what he was doing as he hummed questioningly.

“P-please.” Another moan, this one out of frustration as Levi stopped to look at Eren.

“You’ve got to tell me what you want, Eren, or I can’t help you.”

“P-please…Fuck me, Levi. Oh god, I can’t…take it anymore.”

The sudden burst coming from Eren made Levi groan. This brat was going to be the death of him. It was unfair how sexy he could be without trying, it shouldn’t be legal.

After sliding Eren’s pajamas off and wrestling out of his own, Levi leaned to the side to reach in the nightstand drawer for the bottle of lube and condoms. Setting the items to the side, he leaned back over Eren and gently claimed his lips, threading his fingers through that messy brown hair.

After a minute of light kissing, Levi blindly grabbed the bottle of lube and opened it. The sound of the lid popping open must’ve startled Eren, because the boy’s whole body tensed underneath him.

“You okay?” Levi nuzzled the side of Eren’s head, trying to reassure him.

“Yeah, yeah, the sound just startled me.”

Levi kissed his way down Eren’s neck while he coated his fingers with lube and set the bottle aside. This slow pace was killing him. His whole body was practically humming with need and he knew he was leaking precum onto the sheets. Despite that, he took his time. He bit and sucked on the delicate skin of Eren’s shoulder, undoubtedly leaving a mark before moving on to the next untouched piece of skin. He teased Eren’s entrance with his index finger, eliciting moans from the teen, before finally slipping his digit into the tight heat.

“You okay?”

Eren took in a deep breath before letting it out, “Y-yeah. It just…feels weird.”

Levi chuckled against Eren’s skin, rubbing his nose along Eren’s shoulder, “What’d I tell you?”

Claiming Eren’s lips again, Levi let him adjust to the stretch before gently pressing a second finger into him. Eren moaned against his lips, a quiet whimper mixed into it. Slowly, Levi beckoned with his fingers, scissoring occasionally to help stretch the tight muscle.

“How is it, Eren?” Levi pressed his forehead ahead against Eren’s, trying to regulate his own breathing.

“S’good.” Eren was panting and beginning to rut against Levi’s fingers, making it near impossible for Levi to hold back much longer.

He added a third finger, which made Eren whine and tense, “Relax.”

At Levi’s quiet command and reassuring kisses, Eren’s body began to relax and adjust to the stretch. Levi rested his forehead on Eren’s chest with a groan, the tight heat was enticing and all he wanted to do was bury himself in it.

“Le-vi.”

Fingernails scrapped against his back, causing him to moan, and buck his hips with the need for friction.

“Eren, are you ready? I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”

Levi didn’t even bother looking up for an answer, he needed to hear it, so instead he went back to mouthing the pink nub closest to him, while hitting that sweet spot with his fingers.

“Levi…please…hurry up.”

Levi hid his grin against Eren’s skin, “Oi, are you giving me commands now, brat?”

“Yes, hurry…the fuck…up.”

Levi was stunned and looked up to see the most intense gaze he had ever seen from those ocean-like eyes. Eren’s face was flushed, his breath ragged as he panted, and one hand’s fingers threaded through Levi’s hair while the other hand clutched the sheets. What happened to the innocent, timid Eren that was just below Levi a few moments ago? It’s like Eren had done a complete one eighty in personality. He was intense, demanding, and sure of what he wanted. It went straight to Levi’s already weeping length.

He didn’t hesitate a moment more, withdrawing his fingers, Levi quickly opened the condom and slid it on before coating it with some more lube. Once he was ready, he looked at Eren again to make sure everything was still okay. The same fevered gaze stared back at him and Eren gave him a small nod as a go ahead. Levi lined himself up, leaning over Eren, and slowly slid into that tight entrance with a low moan.

Once he was in, he stopped and let Eren adjust to everything, while Levi rained kisses and bites along Eren’s shoulder and neck. Before long, Eren was trying to move his hips and Levi was happy to oblige him. They started with a slow and steady pace, Levi straining to hold himself back to the best of his ability.

Once Levi got a rhythm, he began hitting that little bundle of nerves that caused Eren to moan and yell expletives. Just the sight of seeing Eren falling apart under him was enough to help set Levi over the edge. Much to Levi’s dismay, he couldn’t hold out much longer. Maybe it was the lack of sex in so long or the fact that he’s been waiting for this moment for a while. Whatever the reason may be, Levi was close.

Levi adjusted himself so that he could still pump into Eren while stroking his swollen length.

“Eren…I can’t last much longer…Come with me.”

A low moan came from the teen and Levi pumped faster, feeling his release build up in the pit of his stomach. After a few more strokes and pumps, both of them cried out as they climaxed. Levi shuddered and collapsed to the side of Eren, in order to not squish him.

Once they both had their breathing somewhat regulated, Levi ran a hand across Eren’s forehead to draw the teen’s attention, “Hey, you okay?”

Eren nodded sleepily, his eyes half-closed and his lips stretched in a tiny, satisfied smile, “Hm? Yeah, of course…Kinda tired and I feel weird in a few places, but good.”

Levi chuckled quietly and leaned over to kiss him, “Good. Let’s get cleaned up, then sleep. I need to change the sheets and you need to take another shower, I’ll have to help you with that. It might be weird walking for a little bit.”

Eren groaned in protest, “Do I have to?”

“Do you want to sleep on the floor?”

“Yes.”

Levi swatted Eren on the arm, “Okay, smartass. We’ll see how long that lasts when Bean’s over there kneading a spot on your ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it good for you?
> 
> Because this chapter was hell for me, haha. Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.  
> This fic only has a couple of more chapters in it.
> 
> Till next chapter~


	19. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some drama?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much for me to say, honestly. Besides thank you guys so much for reading, commenting, and kudoing. You guys are amazing and I'm still astonished that people read this. 
> 
> With that, I hope this chapter is okay.

Eren sighed with contentment and snuggled closer to the warm body next to him. It was probably around two in the morning and he was worn out. His whole body ached, even parts he didn’t know could ache. Despite the slight discomfort, Eren was happy and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

_Well, I would change the fact that I have school in five hours._

He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Levi’s neck and squeezed him tighter, “Levi, can we skip school?”

He felt Levi’s silent laugh before the older male spoke, “You’re such a brat. I do work, you know. It’s bad enough that I’m sleeping with a student, missing work unless I’m deathly ill is out of the question.”

Eren grumbled much to Levi’s amusement apparently. They had been like this the whole night. Just cuddling, occasionally making out which led to other things, and enjoying each other’s company. It was something Eren hoped would happen every night, though he knew realistically that things wouldn’t be happy all of the time.  So he was soaking up every little second, every little movement, every sigh, laugh, and yawn. He was memorizing the feel of Levi’s body against his, how smooth and seemly hairless his skin was. Eren wanted to memorize every little detail and lock it away for days when he couldn’t enjoy this to the fullest.  

“Hey, Levi.”

“Hm?”

“How do you afford all of this on a school nurse’s salary?” It was a question that had been on the back of Eren’s mind for a while. He just never found the right time to ask after Levi shot him down the first time. It still might not be the right time, but he was half-asleep and curious.

A little bit of shuffling and Levi was facing him with a raised brow, “What’s this all of the sudden?”

Eren readjusted his hold on the man and shrugged as best as he could while lying on his side, “I was just curious. You don’t have to answer, if you don’t want to.”

Levi closed his eyes and after a few minutes Eren could have sworn that he fell asleep, but it wasn’t long before Levi was speaking.

“You already know that I’m French, right?”

Eren was confused, “Yeah, but what does that-“

Levi gave him a stern look that made him stop speaking midsentence, “My mom was a French model and my dad was some big shot executive for a fashion company in France. That’s how they met. They got married and a couple of years after had me. I only spent the first few years of my life there before my dad got this big job offer here in the States and made us all move. They were constantly busy, but they tried their hardest to spend time with me. Anyway, as you can imagine, they racked up quite a bit of money.  My mom got cancer about 3 years ago and the doctors said that she had about a year left. “

Levi took in a deep breath before continuing, “Six months in and her health deteriorated. Then one night she was just gone. My dad didn’t last long afterwards. Both of them left everything they had to me. Before they passed, I was working at a hospital as a doctor, so I had a good income to begin with. After they were both gone, I decided to take time off from the real world. I travelled a lot. When I got back, Petra was pregnant and Erwin was offering me a job at the school. I had nothing better to do, so now we’re here.”

Eren was silent for a few minutes, digesting the information overload that Levi had just presented him. It was the most Levi had said about himself in the span of a couple of minutes and it answered a lot of Eren’s questions.

“I’m sorry about your parents. That must have been hard losing both of them.”

Eren watched Levi close his eyes and nod before he snuggled closer to Eren.

“It was hard. Even though they were always busy, I loved them a lot. Besides Erwin and Hanji, they were the only ones I could talk to and they were both really understanding and supportive.”

Eren smiled at the warmth in Levi’s voice as he talked about his parents. He talked about his mom, how she was so kind and cheerful, and how his dad would always brag about him. Eren loved hearing all of these stories and the fact that Levi was comfortable enough to share them with him. The only thing that Eren regretted was that he would never be able to meet the two people Levi held closest to his heart.

~

A few hours later and both of them were dressed and getting into Levi’s car to head to the high school. Levi was exhausted. Last night was amazing and Levi wouldn’t have changed a thing. He hadn’t planned on opening up so easily though, but it just felt right and it was so nice letting Eren in. They had both fell asleep in the middle of a story about his mom and dad. He couldn’t even remember which one it was, but he remembered how much he loved the way his body fit with Eren’s. He loved the feel of being consistently warm, because he could have sworn that Eren was a heater in disguise. He loved the sound of Eren’s laugh as he listened to it with his ear to the boy’s chest. Everything about last night was right.

Levi drove in silence, because both of them just didn’t have the energy to hold a conversation. Levi would have been slightly worried about Eren being so quiet but the small smile told him that he didn’t have anything to worry about.

When they finally pulled into the school parking lot, Levi headed towards his parking spot. They had decided to come extra early, so that no one would see them come together in Levi’s car. As Levi pulled into his spot, the loss of a couple of more hours of sleep became pointless.

“Just fucking great.”

Levi’s cussing must have startled Eren, because the boy perked right up in his seat with a confused, “What?”

“Nothing. Just go to the school ahead of me. I’ve got something to do real quick. Come see me after 6th period, okay?”

Eren gave him a puzzled look, “Is everything okay?”

Levi grabbed the teen’s hand and looked him in the eyes, “Everything is fine, okay? Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Levi watched him nod and get out of the car. Eren kept looking back, so Levi pretended to be on the phone until he saw Eren go into the school. Levi shut off his car and slowly got out, preparing himself for the argument that he was sure would happen. Erwin got out of his vehicle at the same time and was heading in Levi’s direction.

“Levi.”

“Eyebrows.”

Erwin gave him a stern look, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. Levi just snorted.

_As if I don’t know._

Erwin stepped to the side of him and Levi felt a firm grip on his arm before he was steered towards the school building, “Let’s have a talk in my office.”

When they got into the building, Erwin dropped his grip and picked up his pace, forcing Levi to almost run to keep up. They reached Erwin’s office within a few minutes, Levi slightly out of breath and glaring at Erwin.

Levi spun around to face Erwin when the door was closed, “Jesus fucking Christ. Was that necessary?”

“Don’t even start with me, Levi. What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you want to go to jail?!”

At the sound of Erwin’s raised voice, Levi’s eyes widened in surprise. Erwin was never the one to lose composure. Levi’s surprise didn’t last long, though. It was replaced with anger and defensiveness.

“What the fuck, Erwin? All I did was give the kid a ride to school. It’s not like I was fucking him outside on top of the hood of my car.”

Levi watched Erwin pinch the bridge of his nose before striding over to his desk to lean up against it. Levi knew this would happen, it was just a matter of when it would happen.

“Is he the one that’s been making you happy for the past few months? God damnit, Levi. He’s a student.”

Levi ran his hands through his hair before throwing his arms out in a gesture of defeat, “You think I don’t fucking know that? Do you think I’ve got some weird ass fetish for teenage boys? The answer to your question is yes. Yes, he’s the reason I’ve been happy for the past few months. I hadn’t planned any of this, Erwin.”

By the time he stopped speaking, he was pacing back and forth in the office as Erwin watched him. He was a bundle of emotions. Anger, defeat, fear, and most of all, relief. Relief because finally he doesn’t have to tiptoe, he doesn’t have to continue to hide the one thing that has made him happy in years from someone who has known him for so long.

“Levi. Have you two had sex? Be honest with me. You can lose your job and go to jail. I could lose my job, because of this. I deserve the truth.”

Levi sighed in defeat. He collapsed into one of the chairs in front of the desk and picked at invisible dirt underneath his nails.

“Yeah. Last night was the first time. He turned eighteen yesterday.”

“Levi, you couldn’t have waited until he was done with school, at least? We could both lose our jobs. I know you don’t care, but I love this job.”

Levi rubbed at his face with a groan before resting his head in his hands and pulling at his bangs, “Who has to know, Erwin? I mean, this was one time. It won’t happen again. I swear on my life.”

Erwin went around and sat down in his office chair, putting his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together, “What were you thinking coming so early in the morning with him? What were you thinking bringing him in the morning in the first place? In the afternoon, it’s a different story. We can make up some sort of excuse, but the morning is too damn suspicious, Levi.”

Levi sat up straight and looked at Erwin with a grimace, “I know. Damnit, I fucking know. I just wasn’t thinking. I’ve just been so fucking happy for the past few months and it was clouding my judgment. Hell, everything about that boy clouds my judgment. I was being fucking selfish and putting your job in danger. I’m sorry.”

Erwin nodded as Levi spoke and gave him a small smile, “I forgive you, Levi. We’ll figure something out. I’m glad you’re happy, though. It’s a nice change. You know Hanji is going to want to meet him.”

Levi groaned and threw his hands up in the air, “Of course that shitty glasses would want to meet him. That’s punishment enough for me.”

Erwin chuckled at Levi’s theatrics and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, “She’s not that bad, Levi. I’m sure Eren would have an…interesting time.”

Levi snorted and stood up from the chair he was occupying so he could head to his own office, “Not that bad? You shouldn’t lie, eyebrows. Interesting is putting it nicely.”

“Levi.”

Levi turned around, his hand resting on the doorknob, “Yeah?”

“It wouldn’t do either of you any good if you get thrown into jail. No more car rides, promise me.”

Levi gave one last sigh and nodded his head, “Yeah, no more car rides. I’m sorry for being such a shitty friend.”

“It’s fine, Levi. We’ll figure this out.”

With that he left Erwin’s office and headed to his own, his mind swirling with how he was going to solve everything without getting any of them in trouble.

_Here’s to hoping for a miracle._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's Levi going to do? We'll just have to wait to find out in the next chapter. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope this chapter was okay. I kind of feel like it's boring, but I'm hoping it's just me. If it is boring, I'm so sorry. ;-;


	20. Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things happen. I suck at summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so, so sorry that this took so long. I'm done with classes for a week now, so I tried to get this chapter out ASAP.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!! I love seeing them, because it makes me feel like people actually like my writing. 
> 
> With that being said, I decided to add a little something at the end as an apology. I hope it's okay.

Normally when a person finally takes that big step to consummate a relationship, they’re happy, glowing, and everyone around them can tell they finally got laid. At least, that’s how all the movies that Eren has seen made it out to be. Unfortunately for Eren, reality wasn’t as smooth and joyful.

Eren chewed on a cold fry absently as he watched his best friend and his rival flirt openly at the lunch table. Jean said something that only Armin could hear and made the blonde blush a deep red. It was bad enough that Armin was dating Jean, but Eren still had the innocent and pure image of Armin from childhood stuck in his head. Eren decided subjecting himself to this for much longer would legally classify him as insane, so he picked up his tray and got up from the table.

He hadn’t been in a good mood all day thanks to Levi’s odd behavior this morning, so instead of ignoring the flirting he decided to make an offhanded comment about them getting a room.

Armin’s blush deepened as Jean sneered at him, “Don’t be such a sourpuss, Eren, just because you’re fucking single and can’t get laid.”

Eren slammed his tray on the table and grabbed Jean by the front of his shirt, “Just because I’m not trying to give everyone in the fifty mile radius a mouth full of cavities, doesn’t mean I’m single, horse face. And for your information, I got laid just last night.”

Jean laughed in his face, “Yeah fucking right, Jaeger. Your hand doesn’t count.”

Eren was about to pull his arm back to punch the asswipe in his face when Armin stepped in-between them and gave them both a disapproving glare.

“Both of you need to stop. Jean, there’s no need to provoke him. Eren, whatever you’re angry about doesn’t give you the right to resort to needless violence. I thought you promised Mikasa to stay out of trouble.”

Armin was right. Eren knew that he was just being aggressive because he wasn’t sure what was going on with Levi and why he lied to Eren this morning. It was eating at him that Levi lied to his face, but he wasn’t going to confront him about it in the school parking lot. So Eren had obeyed him and went to school with the anxiety that something was wrong.

Eren let go of Jean’s shirt and stepped back a couple of steps so he could try to get rid of the tension in his body. He was wound up like the Energizer Bunny and he knew he needed to calm down before he got himself in deep trouble.

“Yeah, you’re right, Armin. Sorry, Jean.”

Jean just grunted and Armin gave him a look before letting the horse face know that Armin would see him later. With that, Armin took Eren’s arm and steered him back to their classroom.

“When were you going to tell me that you were dating someone?”

Eren groaned internally, because he should have realized that comment wouldn’t go unnoticed by his best friend. Even so, he tried to play it off as convincingly as possible.

“Oh, I was just joking.”

He let out a laugh that sounded forced and it was so obvious that he was lying, but he hoped that by some miracle Armin wouldn’t notice. When he looked over at Armin, he was met with a hurt look.

_Yeah, so much for that miracle. I’m so screwed._

“You know you’re a terrible liar, Eren, I don’t even know why you try. Who is she?”

This time Eren let out his groan and rubbed at his face, “ _He._ And it’s complicated.”

Armin was silent for what seemed like forever and ­­Eren thought that he was just going to drop the subject, but instead his best friend leaned in closer and whispered angrily.

“I didn’t know you liked guys! Why didn’t you tell me when I told you I liked Jean?”

Eren didn’t get a word in before Armin was whispering more urgently, “Is it the school nurse? Is that who you’re dating, Eren?”

As soon as Armin mentioned Levi, Eren looked around frantically to make sure no one heard before he pulled Armin into an empty stairwell.

Before Armin could even ask what he was doing, Eren hissed, “Shhh. Armin, you can’t just say shit like that. What if someone heard you? Swear you won’t tell Mikasa, please. It’s bad enough that she doesn’t know I’m dating someone, if she found out who it was she would kill him!”

Armin’s eyes got impossibly big and he could barely keep his voice at a whisper, “You’re dating the school nurse, Eren?! Why didn’t you say something? How long have you been together?”

Eren shook his head, he knew he promised Levi not to tell anyone, but Armin was his best friend and he would’ve figured it out eventually.

“Lets not talk about this during school. I’ll tell you all about it later tonight. Lets just get to class, alright?”

Armin nodded his head in understanding and they both headed back to class. Despite the little detour, they still made it back before the teacher and Eren decided he was going to just lay down on his desk and rest, because this day was turning out to be exhausting.

~

Levi watched the clock like a hawk. It was one minute away from the end of sixth period and, at least, ten minutes until Eren got here.

 All day he had been thinking of a solution to their dilemma, even thinking about calling off the relationship altogether. Even though that solution seemed like the smartest one, Levi just couldn’t do it. He was in too deep with the brat and there was no way he was going to call it quits over this little hiccup.

 He finally figured out a solution that wasn’t too drastic and he was just waiting to talk to Eren about it. Levi didn’t know how Eren would react to it, but he was hoping that the teen would, at least, attempt to listen before turning it down.

_Five more minutes._

Levi decided that watching the clock wasn’t going to make time go faster, so he got up from his chair and paced back and forth in the small office.

A tentative knock on the door stopped Levi in his tracks.

_This is it._

He inhaled deeply, before exhaling and opening the door before Eren could knock again.

“You look like hell.”

Levi glared at the brunette as he came into the room, “Well, hello to you too. And you don’t look much better.”

“Listen, Levi-“

Levi raised his hand to cut Eren off as he shut the door, “Wait, Eren, I’ve got to talk to you about something.”

He was guessing his face looked grave, because Eren’s face paled considerably, “Are you breaking up with me?”

Levi’s jaw dropped and he shook his head, “What? No. What gave you that idea?”

Eren sagged in relief, some of the color coming back to his face, “Well, usually when your partner says that they have to talk to you, it’s either they’re pregnant or they’re breaking up with you. And I know there’s no way you could be pregnant…Right?”

Levi almost laughed outright, “Are you on drugs, brat? How the fuck could I be pregnant?”

Eren shrugged before settling himself on the bed, while Levi sat down in his chair.

“Erwin saw us this morning.”

Eren jumped up off the bed and threw his arms out, “What?!”

Levi slouched slightly in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, “Calm down, Eren. He talked to me and told me that we needed to figure something out so that we don’t get caught. He could report me, but he’s willing to trust me even at the risk of losing his job.”

He watched as Eren settled back down on the bed and took a deep breath.

“So what are we going to do?”

Levi sighed and sat up just to lean forward with his elbows on his knees, “I’ve got a solution. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

Eren seemed to pale again and Levi cursed the teen’s overactive imagination. Sometimes it was endearing, but right now Eren was just making it harder on himself.

“Okay, tell me.”

Levi straightened up in his chair and smoothed out his lab coat, “I’m going to quit working here after this school year ends. I’m going to go back to working at the hospital.”

Eren sighed in relief, probably preparing for the worst possible solution, “I thought it was going to be something drastic. This was really only a temporary job anyway, right?”

Levi nodded and scratched at the back of his neck, “Yeah, but you know what that means right? I’ll have odd hours and won’t be able to see you all of the time. We could go weeks without seeing each other. Are you really okay with that?”

Eren’s thinking face was adorable. Levi had established this a long time ago. The boy’s eyebrows would furrow and his lips would pout a little. He looked like a constipated puppy and Levi was probably the only one who thought it was cute. It helped Levi’s mood, despite everything going on, but he wasn’t going to let Eren know that.

“Yeah. I mean, that’s better than you going to jail or Erwin losing his job. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices. Plus, we have texting, so it’s not like we’ll go weeks without talking. I’m okay with that, as long as that’s what you want, Levi.”

Levi expected an angry outburst and some arguing. He didn’t expect this freshly-turned eighteen year old to accept everything so calmly. It threw him off and he didn’t even know how to respond at first because he was still processing Eren’s response.

_God, this little shit can be so fucking mature when he needs to be._

Instead of saying anything, Levi motioned for Eren to come closer. When the teen was close enough, Levi grabbed ahold of Eren’s wrist and pulled him into his lap. It was a bit awkward, because the chair wasn’t meant for two people to sit in it, but Levi didn’t care. He took ahold of the brunette’s face and brought him down for a kiss.

It began with that first soft kiss, but it quickly picked up heat and intensity. Soon, Levi was trailing his tongue down the side of Eren’s neck, occasionally nipping at the skin and causing the boy to whimper. He trailed his hands up Eren’s side, slightly dragging the worn out band tee up to show that smooth, tan stomach.

It didn’t take much once Levi began running his thumbs over Eren’s nipples through the cloth of the shirt.

“Sh-shit, Levi. Shouldn’t we stop in case someone sees us?”

He chuckled and brought his mouth close to Eren’s chest in order to replace one of his thumbs before answering, “Don’t worry. The blinds are closed, the door is locked, and everyone is pretty much gone. I want to put this office to good use at least once, before I leave.”

Then he relentlessly mouthed the pert nub through the material of Eren’s shirt, eliciting a moan from him. Levi decided to stop being a tease and wrapped his arms under Eren’s legs before he stood up. It earned him a surprised squeak from the brat that turned into a moan as he pressed Eren’s back into the side of the bed and rolled his hips.

“L-Levi, hurry up…I can’t take…much more.”

Levi was all too happy to oblige. He sat Eren down on the bed and left him there, much to Eren’s dismay, to go to the supply cabinet in his desk. Once Eren realized what Levi was getting, he hurriedly unbuttoned his jeans and wiggled out of them and his boxers.

Levi had to take a second to soak up the sight before him. Eren’s hair was a mess, as usual, but his face was flushed and his eyes were heavy with lust. If Levi didn’t know better, this could almost be mistaken as a porno. Everything was just too perfect and Levi couldn’t help but let his gaze linger on the weeping length in front of him.

“Leeevi.”

Levi groaned, because this just wasn’t fair. He wished he could take a picture to capture the perfection that was before him for when they wouldn’t be able to see each other as often. Despite the want to just gaze at Eren like this forever, Levi’s own length was reminding him that it was no time to delay.

He walked back up to Eren, opening the lube and applying some to his fingers, before grabbing Eren’s hair with his other hand and pulling him into a deep kiss. He opened Eren up slowly, because despite their adventure last night, Eren was still tight.

Pretty soon, Eren was rutting against his fingers and begging him to hurry up. Levi hurriedly undid his pants, withdrew his fingers from Eren, and slicked his length with more lube before he pressed up against Eren’s entrance.

It didn’t take long for Levi to fill Eren up to the hilt. Eren had leaned back with his arms positioned behind him to support his weight as his back was pressed into the side of the bed once again. In no time, Levi was setting a rhythm and had to bite down on his lower lip to keep himself from moaning at the tight heat squeezing him.

Levi must’ve hit the right spot because Eren let out a loud moan despite trying to muffle any sound the same way Levi was. Levi gripped the brunette’s hips and continued to aim for that sweet spot and soon Eren was a whimpering mess.

“Le-vi. I’m…I’m going to…to come…”

Levi picked up the pace because he was on edge as well, “Come with me, Eren. Come on.”

At that command, Levi pumped into Eren one more time before Eren let out a cry and came. Levi followed soon after, groaning as his hips twitched with the last of his orgasm. They were a panting mess and Levi was leaning into Eren despite the fact that he risked getting cum on his clothes.

When Levi finally pulled out, Eren collapsed back onto the bed and closed his eyes, “That was fucking amazing.”

Levi chuckled and leaned over to kiss the collarbone that was peeking out of the collar of Eren’s shirt, “Indeed, brat. Now hurry up and clean yourself off. Letting it dry is fucking gross.”

“You’re such a romantic, Levi.”

 “I’m glad you think so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that last bit was okay. :3 Second time writing smut, haha. And I seriously wasn't planning on it, but I was like "They deserve something for waiting so long", so yeah.
> 
> I'm going to guesstimate that this fic has 2 or 3 more chapters left in it. 
> 
> Comments are much appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!


	21. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Mikasa receive some news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks! I still find it hard to believe that people like this fic, haha.
> 
> This chapter is a little short compared to the rest, but I didn't want to drag it on, sorry. 
> 
> Lets go!

Eren looked around the nurse’s office as Levi packed what few items he had in the room.

“I can’t believe you’re not going to be the school nurse anymore. It’s surreal. Do you know who is taking your place?”

Levi stopped what he was doing and took a glance around, as well.

“Yeah, some person called, Hitch.”

“Hitch? What kind of name is that?”

Levi shrugged and went back to organizing his box of stuff. Two months had gone by fast and school was already out for the summer. Levi had secured a position at the hospital in town and was scheduled to start in a week. Today was a half day, so Eren took it upon himself to help Levi out. It had been an hour already and all Levi saw Eren do was stand around and talk. That was fine, though. Levi didn’t mind the company.

With a quiet sigh, Levi picked up his box of things and turned around to face Eren. The boy was playing a game on his phone and not paying attention, so Levi coughed a little louder than normal to get his attention. Eren looked up startled, but then gave Levi a big grin.

“Oh, you ready?”

Levi shrugged, “Not really. I just like standing around, holding a box of shit for no apparent reason, brat.”

He watched as the brunette rolled his eyes, pocketed his phone, and opened the door for Levi.

“You’re such a smartass.”

“And you’re a liar if you say you don’t like it.”

~

Eren got back home a couple of hours later. As soon as he stepped into the apartment, he knew something was wrong. Someone was in his living room talking and the last time Eren had checked Mikasa was supposed to still be at work, but her shoes were here.

Eren called out tentatively, “Mikasa?”

The voices stopped talking and Mikasa called back, her voice sounded weird to Eren’s ears, “Eren, come here.”

Sliding off his shoes, he began his trek to the living room, his heart beating so hard that he thought it might break his ribs. The sight that was displayed before him as he rounded the corner didn’t make it any better.

Two male police officers were sitting on chairs from the dining room and Mikasa was settled on the couch, her head turned to look at him with wide eyes that held fear, a look Eren hadn’t seen on Mikasa’s face since the day they found out about his mom.

“What is this?”

Eren stood stock still, halfway into the living room, and stared at everyone as they watched him.

One of the male police officers with short blond hair stood up and made his way to Eren with a friendly smile.

“You must be Eren. Nice to meet you, I’m Hannes. I actually went to school with your mother, back in the day. She was a great woman, I’m sure you miss her greatly.”

Hannes held out his hand to shake Eren’s, but Eren didn’t budge.

“Why are you here?”

Hanne’s smile dropped into a frown and he withdrew his hand.

“It might be better if you sit down.” Hannes gestured to the spot to Mikasa and went back to his chair. Eren wavered on whether he should continue to stand or do what the police officer said, but one look at Mikasa’s face and he knew he should probably sit down.

He settled down next to his sister and leaned forward with his hands on his knees.

“What’s going on?”

The police officers shared a look, before Hannes nodded and looked at Eren and Mikasa, “I’m not going to beat around the bush. This is about your dad.”

Eren stood up suddenly, his anger already rising, “What about my dad? Did you find him? Where is the asshole? Does he know how much me and Mikasa have went through since he disappeared?”

Eren’s chest was heaving as his breathing became more and more erratic. Mikasa touched his hand and gently pulled him back down next to her.

“Calm down, Eren. Let them tell us what’s going on.” Mikasa spoke in the calming voice she always used when Eren was volatile.

Eren inhaled and exhaled, making himself calm down, before he apologized for losing his cool.

Hannes nodded his head, “It’s okay, Eren. I understand. We did find your dad. I’m sorry to inform you, but he is no longer alive.”

A dark shadow passed over Eren and Mikasa. They were hoping that maybe, somehow he was out there and he would eventually come back. That one day, they could have some semblance of a normal family back. It was a thought that was farfetched and with each passing year it dwindled.

“Where? How? When?”

It was the only thing Eren could think of asking. He needed answers; he needed to know why his mom died and why his dad disappeared off the radar.  

Hannes sighed and straightened up in his chair, “The case has always been open since we found your mom. We had given up hope on solving the mystery, but just a month ago they found a body and we finally got the results in. It’s your dad. From the lacerations on the bones and the missing fingers, we suspect that he was tortured. We got an anonymous tip a long time ago that we never placed much thought into, because it didn’t make sense at the time. It seems your dad was in a bit of financial trouble with some loan sharks and when your mom and him were driving around town, the collectors spotted Grisha. We’ve got bits of information here and there, we are assuming that it led into a car chase that made Grisha crash. Your mom died on impact and the collectors took your dad.”

Eren took it all in. He thought knowing would lift the heavy weight off his chest, but it didn’t.

The other police officer coughed and spoke up for the first time, “We’re going to have to keep your father’s body as evidence for the time being, we’re hoping to find out who exactly did this to your family. We’ll call you when we can release him to you for funeral arrangements.”

Mikasa was the one who stood up as the police officers did and escorted them out with a soft “thank you”. When she came back, Eren was still in shock. He couldn’t believe this. It was like their life was a soap opera.

“Eren.”

Eren looked up at Mikasa in a daze, “Is this real? Did that just happen? Am I dreaming?”

Eren watched as Mikasa’s face turned grim and he was so out of it that he didn’t even see her raise her hand. When the slap collided with his cheek, it snapped him out of the weird, disconnected state he was in.

“Ow! What the fuck, Mikasa?!”

“I’m sorry, but it was the only way I could think of to prove to you that it was real. No matter how shitty it is, it’s what happened. We’ve been doing fine up until this point, Eren. Now we have a little more closure, so think of it that way.”

Eren rubbed at his cheek as Mikasa sat down next to him. She was right. Eren knew his sister had a point and he knew that getting angry at his dad would serve no purpose. They had been doing just fine until now and there was no need to let this hinder them.

“Did you really have to slap me that hard, though?”

Mikasa shrugged and leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder, “Stop being such a wimp. I could have punched you.”

Eren grimaced and wrapped his arm around his sister. They sat there in silence and soaked up the day’s events.  It was wild and Eren would have never in a million years guessed that it would happen, but he was glad to finally have some sort of closure.

~

Later that night, Levi stretched out on his couch and patted his stomach for Bean to jump up. The tabby settled down after a few rounds of kneading and Levi petted him absently as he flipped through the channels to look for something interesting.

Before he could find anything, Levi’s phone went off with Eren’s ringtone. Levi answered it after the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Levi.”

Levi sat up at the sound of Eren’s voice, effectively dumping Bean into the floor which earned him an affronted meow.

“What’s wrong?”

Levi’s heart pounded as worry began to build up in the back of his throat. Eren sounded exhausted and emotionally drained.

“Some stuff happened today when I got home.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Yeah.”

Eren began telling Levi everything that happened after he had last seen the brunette. He was shocked, but he was also proud. He was so proud of Eren, because the teen was taking the news surprisingly well. Since the first time Levi met the boy with intoxicating sea-green eyes, he has watched Eren grow. Not so much physically, but emotionally and mentally. It was amazing.

Eren talked about his dad and his mom, small stories here and there about family trips and dinner time shenanigans. What really amazed Levi was the fact that Eren wasn’t mad at his father. He was disappointed that his dad had to rely on loan sharks for finances, but he wasn’t mad at his father about his mom dying. Eren knew that Grisha loved his mom with all of his heart and Eren knew that Grisha probably tried his hardest to protect her, so Eren told Levi that he wasn’t mad.

“Dad was just trying to provide for us. Sometimes people make poor decisions even with the best intentions. Mikasa and I have decided we’re going to get him cremated and put his urn next to mom’s grave. I think mom would have wanted that.”

Levi smiled sadly, “You’re probably right, Eren. That sounds like a good plan.”

They talked throughout the night. Levi eventually ventured to his bed and laid down with his phone still to his ear. They talked about their future. Eren’s plans for what he was going to do once he graduated high school. Mikasa had graduated this year, so Eren talked about how she got a scholarship and was going to start college after summer. Levi could hear the pride Eren had for his sister and it made him smile.

Eventually, Eren fell asleep. Levi listened as soft snoring came across the phone. He couldn’t wait for the coming up years when he and Eren could establish a life together. He was planning on asking Eren to move in with him once he graduated. He wanted to fall asleep and wake up to that messy haired brat as much as possible.

Before he hung up the phone, he whispered to the sleeping brunette, “God damnit, I love you, you little shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As some of you might have noticed, next chapter is the last one. I wanted to end it on an even number, because I'm weird like that.
> 
> That being said, next chapter is going to be a sort of epilogue. A look into one and four years after this chapter. I will be finishing it tonight, so it should be up in the next few hours. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	22. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year and four years after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. I will put more in the end note.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Edit: There are three songs I recommend listening to while you read this.  
> Blue October - 18th Floor Balcony.  
> Blue October - Sound of Pulling Heaven Down.  
> Arctic Monkeys - I Wanna Be Yours.

~

_One year later._

Eren shifted his weight side to side as he waited for the line of people ahead of him to dwindle. He was nervous. Eventually they would call his name and he would have to go out on stage in front of hundreds of people and try not to make a fool of himself. He looked up into the stands, looking for the one person who would be able to calm him down with just a glance.

_There he is._

Levi was sitting next to Mikasa and Armin’s grandpa, along with Hanji who was videotaping the whole thing. Once Levi started his new job at the hospital, Hanji made it a point to tell Levi that if he didn’t introduce Eren to her, she would come over every day until she met him. Needless to say, it didn’t last long before Eren was standing in front of the crazy brunette and being observed like some sort of test subject.

He caught Levi’s gaze and gave him a lopsided grin with a half wave of his hand. He watched as Levi’s face softened with a small smirk and with that Eren’s nerves died down. He could do this. He wouldn’t trip and fall on stage.

_One more person and then it’s me._

Eren inhaled deeply and held his breath as he waited for his name to be called.

“Eren Jaeger!”

Eren exhaled and stepped onto the stage.

“WOOHOO! GO EREN, YEAH!”

Heat flooded Eren’s face as he glanced over to see Levi wrestling Hanji to sit down. Eren decided to tune it all out and focused on making his way to Erwin, who was holding out his diploma.

Eren looked up at his principle and his boyfriend’s best friend with a smile. Erwin was surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing and never judged Levi and Eren for their relationship.

Erwin gave him a small smile and shook his hand before whispering, “Congrats, Eren.”

Eren nodded his head, took his diploma, and hurried off stage to his designated seat.

The remainder of the graduation ceremony went boringly smooth. Eren fidgeted in his seat, antsy to get out of the building and spend some time with his boyfriend. Occasionally, he would look back at Levi, who would give him a look that Eren could only read as “Patience, brat”. It made Eren grin that he could read Levi so well now. A year ago, he would’ve thought Levi was angry, but now he could tell by small nuances which mood Levi was in.

When they finally let the students loose, Eren was racing outside to meet with the group. Eren slowed his pace as he felt tension radiate from several feet away.

Mikasa hadn’t taken too kindly to the fact that Eren was dating the old school nurse. She thought Levi had manipulated Eren somehow and corrupted Eren’s innocence. No matter how many times Eren tried to explain it to her that Eren was the one who initiated the relationship and knew what he wanted, she still held a quiet hostility towards Levi.

Levi took it in stride, just like he does everything else. He acknowledged Mikasa’s presence and respected the fact that she was so protective of Eren, so he didn’t make a big deal about the cold glares sent his way. He told Eren that eventually she would realize that he was serious about their relationship and the tension would ease.

That wasn’t going to be any time soon, unfortunately. Eren walked up to the group with the happiest grin he could pull off. He went straight for Mikasa, gave her a tight hug, and whispered “I love you”, which she returned.

Next was Levi. Eren grinned and wrapped his arms around the shorter man, slightly lifting him off the ground.

“Oi, Eren, put me down, brat.”

Eren laughed and set Levi down gently. Levi huffed, straightened his clothes out, before looking up at Eren with a smirk.

“Congrats, brat. You’re out of high school. I’m proud of you.”

Eren rolled his eyes, his face started to hurt from all of the grinning he was doing, “Thanks, old man. I couldn’t have done it without you hounding me to do my homework.”

Levi perked a brow, “Old man? We’ll see how old I am when-“

“OOOKAY, lovebirds! I want pictures!”

Hanji butted in, waved her camera around, and started pushing everyone together for a group picture. Eren just laughed, because the look on Levi’s face when he got cut off was priceless. No doubt, Eren knew he would hear exactly what Levi was going to say later on that night.

He watched as Hanji harassed some poor soul standing too close to take the group picture for them. Hanji showed them how to work the camera before she dashed to stand right behind Levi and Eren and threw her arms over their shoulders, effectively pressing them together.

“Okay, say cheese, everyone!”

Eren looked over at Levi as soon as everyone said cheese and was met with an equally warm, steel gray gaze.  

Eren mouthed, “I love you”, as the flash went off on the camera. Before everyone broke apart, Levi pulled Eren down by his graduation gown and pressed their lips together.

“I love you too.”

~

_Four years later_

“Levi!”

Levi groaned and glanced over his shoulder as Hanji came through the door.

“What, shitty glasses?”

“Oooooh. You look amazing. Eren’s going to love this.”

Levi huffed and looked back at the mirror in front of him.

“He better.”

Hanji came into his view, her mouth set with a wide grin, “Are you nervous?”

Levi turned his head away from her gaze, because he could already feel his cheeks filling with heat.

“Did you forget who you’re talking to, four-eyes?”

His response must’ve given him away, because Hanji started cackling as she ran out of the room.

Levi groaned as he heard her yell Eren’s name, who was on the other end of the hall.

“Just ignore her, Levi. She’s just excited, because she never thought this day would come.”

Erwin stood up from where he was knelt down by Levi’s right leg. Levi looked back into the mirror in front of him, looking over his own appearance as Erwin stepped back to make sure everything looked fine.

“Yeah, I know. I never imagined this day would come either.”

Erwin met Levi’s gaze in the mirror, chuckling softly, “Are you sure you want to do this? You can back out now.”

Levi grunted and looked away, “And break the poor brat’s heart? I’ll pass.”

Levi walked around the room once his appearance was finished.

  _Today was the day._

 Levi could remember the night he asked Eren to marry him almost as if it was yesterday. It was on their third anniversary and they had just gotten back from eating dinner.

_“Eren.”_

_The younger male was trying to drag Levi to the bedroom, but Levi dug his heels in,  much to Eren’s frustration._

_“Oi, Eren. Stop.”_

_Eren turned around impatiently, his cheeks were flushed and he was already tugging at the tie around his neck._

_“What? Do you not want to?”_

_Levi rolled his eyes and pried his hand from Eren’s grasp._

_“Calm down, brat. Can you wait for one second, please?”_

_At the word “please”, Eren stopped his fidgeting and became silent. Levi knew if he threw that word in, Eren would understand that he was being completely serious. Levi never said “please”._

_“Sorry. What’s wrong, Levi?”_

_Levi reached into his coat pocket, inhaled deeply, and wrapped his fingers around the small box hidden inside._

_“Eren. We’ve been together for three years as of today. We’ve been through our ups and downs. We’ve seen each other at our worst. You’ve grown so much, going to college and applying yourself seriously. I’ve grown too. I’ve learned how to interact better with people, I’ve learned how to be open with my emotions, and I’ve learned how absolutely and indefinitely I need you in my life.”_

_By now, Eren was in tears with his hands up to his face._

_“Eren, I love you so fucking much. I never knew I could love someone else as much as I do you. I never knew my heart could physically hurt with a person’s absence. Every night I fall asleep with you next to me, I wonder how in the hell I got so lucky. I love your eyes, your stupidly messy hair, and your laugh. I love your stubbornness and your eagerness in everything you do. Most of all, I love the fact that you love an old man like me.”_

_Eren laughed through his hands and Levi smiled softly. He took in another deep breath and got down on one knee._

_“So, Eren, because I love you so damn much. Will you marry me?”_

_Levi brought out the black box and opened it up to reveal a silver band with a row of diamonds wrapped around it._

_Eren nodded his head, crying, laughing, and blubbering as he said, “Yes.”_

A loud knock interrupted the memory and Levi turned around to look at the door. Armin poked his head in with a sheepish smile, “It’s time.”

Levi nodded his head, looked at Erwin who gave him a small smile, and proceeded to go out to the ballroom to take his place at the altar.

Everyone who was important was there. Eren’s friends from high school and college, Armin’s grandpa, Levi’s work colleagues that he had gotten close to, Petra, Auruo, and their kid. Hanji even brought Bean, who was dressed in a little cat tuxedo and sitting on the first chair on the right hand side of the aisle.  

Levi would be the first one to approach the altar. He chose to go by himself, seeing as he had no family to walk him down and he wasn’t exactly showy when it came to formal things like this.

Once he reached it and got in his position, he stood at the altar, shifting his weight from foot to foot, as he waited for his other half. Erwin and Hanji were behind him, standing as his groomsman and groomswoman, respectively. Armin stood on the other side, acting as Eren’s groomsman.

The music started playing again and Levi’s attention went straight to the open doors where Eren would come out. Levi inhaled sharply as the brunette came into view. Eren was wearing a white tuxedo to act as an opposite to Levi’s black one, though Eren’s was accented with a forest green handkerchief in the breast pocket.

He looked amazing. Levi had to glance away quickly, fearing that tears would start to leak out. He looked back though as he watched Mikasa walk down the aisle with Eren. Levi’s heart pounded harder with each step that brought Eren closer to him. Eren’s goofy grin looked like it was about to split his face in half, but Levi noticed the slight tint of red that was spreading across Eren’s cheeks and he could see the hint of tears at the corner of those intoxicating eyes.

Levi kept his eyes on Eren’s, occasionally glancing at the way Eren kept biting down on his lip to keep from either laughing or crying. Levi couldn’t tell at this point, because Eren had started crying once they were halfway down the aisle.

Finally Mikasa and Eren reached the altar and Mikasa took her place beside Armin as Eren stood beside Levi. They gave each other a smile, Eren slightly sniffling as he attempted to keep his crying in check. Levi took Eren’s hand as they turned to face the priest and gave it a tight squeeze to let his other half know that he wasn’t alone in this.

When it was finally time for them to face each other and say their vows, Eren had begun to cry again. He kept softly apologizing as he said his vows and Levi squeezed his hands in reassurance. Levi said his vows after Eren was done, it was basically a short version of his speech from the night he proposed. He could hear Hanji giggling behind him, but he ignored it to focus on the man standing before him with that stupid grin on his face.

The ceremony ended with them sharing a kiss that probably would’ve turned into something inappropriate for a wedding had Hanji not wrapped her arms around the two of them and try to squeeze the life out of them.

The reception was pretty much an open bar and dancing. Levi and Eren started it off with the first dance. Much to Levi’s dismay, Hanji decided that their first dance should be to Alanis Morissette’s song, “Hands Clean”.

_If it weren't for your maturity, none of this would have happened._   
_If you weren't so wise beyond your years, I would've been able to control myself._   
_If it weren't for my attention you wouldn't have been successful and,_   
_If it weren't for me, you would never have amounted to very much._

Levi groaned and yelled at Hanji from across the room to which a loud cackling was the only reply. Eren chuckled and wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist.

“Levi, it’s okay. She’s just trying to be funny.”

Levi grumbled and placed his arms on Eren’s shoulders, “That shitty four-eyes is going too far. I told her a specific song.”

_Ooh this could be messy._   
_But you don't seem to mind._   
_Ooh don't go telling everybody._   
_And overlook this supposed crime._

Eren laughed and pressed a kiss on Levi’s jaw, “You have to admit the lyrics are almost fitting.”

Levi rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t going to admit that even he found the lyrics amusing.

Eventually, the song ended and the others joined them on the dance floor. Eren and Levi stayed locked in the close position, the sound of the music and everyone else was background noise, as they soaked in the happiness of being together. Nothing could tear them apart and nothing mattered outside of them.

Levi rested his head on Eren’s chest, “Thank you, Eren.”

He felt Eren shift to look down at his face, “For what?”

Levi stepped back a little to look up at the person who was now his husband, “For being you and loving me.”

Eren brought his hand up to cup Levi’s cheek and leaned down to place a soft kiss to Levi’s lips, “Levi, there’s no need to thank me. I am who I am today, because I have you. I love you because you are you and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you, Levi. Always.”

Levi nodded, “Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg. This is surreal. I can not believe this is the end. I'm crying. Hands Clean has been something that I have put so much of myself in and all of these positive comments I've received for it have made me so freakin' happy.
> 
> Initially, I wasn't planning on ever writing fanfiction again, because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish it or that my writing was terrible. But I had this huge urge to write a fic for Eren and Levi, I just had to. So that's how Hands Clean came to be. This has been an incredible experience for me. I've met new people on tumblr because of this fic. It's simply amazing. This might be the end for Hands Clean, but I do already have another fic in mind for these two! I can't say for sure when I'll post it, but if and when I do, I'll definitely announce it on my tumblr. (Maybe eventually there will be stuff in the Hands Clean tag, besides my rambling posts, haha. A writer can dream, right?)
> 
> Thank you guys so much for sticking around and reading this massive thing. Thank you for all of your kind words. You guys are amazing and I love you.
> 
> Edit: Levi's requested song was going to be Arctic Monkeys - I Wanna Be Yours.


End file.
